DNA expert says blood stains in singer's garage match teen victim

A Los Angeles forensic expert testified Thursday that DNA recovered from apparent blood stains in the garage of singer D4vd's Hollywood home strongly matches 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the girl the artist is charged with stabbing to death. Police technicians collected samples from a rubber floor mat, a rowing machine and a Tesla charger, and criminalist Samantha Tosch said the profiles were "one septillion times more likely" to belong to the victim than to anyone else in the population.

The evidence was presented during the third day of a preliminary hearing that will determine whether the defendant, who has pleaded not guilty, will face trial on murder, sexual abuse of a child and body-mutilation charges. Tosch also noted that DNA from a trash-bag swab indicated a mixture of four individuals, including at least two males, and that one of the male profiles appeared to be the defendant's. The victim's DNA was found on cleaning wipes but not on the bag itself, while the defendant's DNA was not detected on the wipes.

Another criminalist explained that most of the garage stains were invisible to the naked eye and were revealed by a chemical reagent that caused them to glow blue. When questioned by defense counsel, Tosch acknowledged she could not confirm that the stains were blood and could not determine how or when the DNA was deposited.

Defense attorney Blair Berk highlighted that initial tests on two small chainsaws found in the garage showed no blood, and the handles had not been swabbed for DNA. Criminalist Lauren Wallace confirmed the blades tested negative for blood but said the absence of visible blood does not rule out the presence of touch DNA.

The defendant, an indie-pop singer known for dark lyrical themes, appeared in orange jail attire and remained composed throughout the testimony. The victim's parents were present in the courtroom but did not visibly react to the technical evidence. Prosecutors allege the singer began a sexual relationship with the teenager when she was 13, that she threatened to expose him, and that he stabbed her on April 23, 2025, later storing the body in the trunk of his Tesla for several months before it was discovered.