D4vd pleads not guilty to murder and a series of additional charges linked to the death of Celeste Rivas

D4vd has pled not guilty to murder and a series of additional charges linked to the death of Celeste Rivas, as the singer’s legal team moved swiftly to challenge prosecutors and force an early test of their evidence.

The rapper, 21, appeared before a judge on Monday hours after being charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances – including lying in wait, committing the crime for financial gain, and murdering a witness to an investigation.

Prosecutors also charged him with lewd and lascivious sexual acts with a person under 14 years old, as well as the mutilation of a human body.

The court hearing followed his arrest by detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division late last week, more than seven months after Celeste, 14, was found dead in the trunk of his abandoned car in the Hollywood Hills. He is being held without bail.

D4vd’s lawyers – Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter – requested a preliminary hearing within 10 days on Monday in a move that could compel prosecutors to present their evidence and witnesses at an early stage.

The strategy appears to hinge on the timing of the arrest, with the defence suggesting the case may still be developing.

Prosecutors allege Celeste was under 14 when D4vd engaged in repeated sexual relations with her, and that he later killed her with a “sharp instrument” after she threatened to expose the relationship and damage his music career.

They further claim her body was dismembered, placed into two bags, and stored in the front trunk of his car.

According to the district attorney’s office, Celeste’s remains stayed in the vehicle for more than four months – from late April to early September 2025– before being discovered at a tow yard.

Her family attended the court hearing on Monday.

D4vd, wearing a black hoodie, stood before the court as the charges were read.

He was taken into custody at around 5pm last Thursday without resistance during a heavily armed police operation, and later booked into custody at 10.12pm at the LAPD’s 77th Street Station jail.

The arrest followed months in which D4vd had withdrawn from public life and cancelled his tour after the discovery of Celeste’s body.