A big development is now unfolding in the investigation into the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez that involves a Grand Jury. Notably, it seems that officially, the case is, in fact, a murder investigation. It was mentioned before, but not in much detail. Read on for more details.
A Grand Jury Hearing
According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, an LA County grand jury is now hearing evidence in the case. Ashleigh Banfield from News Nation confirmed the change on Friday. She said “The investigation into the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez is in fact a murder investigation.”
Plus, she reminded viewers that the LAPD’s own petition described it as “an investigation into murder.” Obviously, in the case of a grand jury, they can compel witness testimony and subpoena documents. So, it seems that it’s a way to assist the prosecutors in actively building a case. However, the district attorney’s office declined to comment, citing a policy of not discussing grand jury proceedings.
Tension Between Departments
Still it seems that a murder investigation is progressing amid a conflict between the LAPD and the Medical Examiner’s office. The police successfully petitioned a court to seal the autopsy results, arguing that revealing it all could “endanger the lives of witnesses and or compromise the investigation.”
Actually, it was their second attempt after a judge rejected an initial request. Harvey Levin of TMZ reported on some department rivalry, noting, “The medical examiner and the LAPD have not gotten along for several years.” And, he found it important to note that the Medical Examiner’s office released a public statement requesting transparency. Apparently it seldom happens.
The Freezing Story
There were reports of the body being frozen. In fact, our last report suggested that the LAPD dissed the idea. However, journalists haven’t ditched it completely. Levin referred to a Medical Examiner’s document that described the victim’s fingers as “waterlogged,” preventing fingerprint identification. Interestingly, that lines up with reports that the body was partially frozen when discovered in early September.
Moving on, Levin mentioned a mysterious trip the suspect, David (D4VD) , took to Santa Barbara in the spring. Actually, that was also previously mentioned, but it seems very important and he added, “The LAPD is making a big deal of this mysterious trip.” So, he speculated that possibly, the cops believe “the body was in some way dismembered” there.
The Timeline Is Puzzling As Well
Obviously the timeline of the case makes folks wonder if Celeste died in the spring, then where was her body for four months? And, Levin admitted, “I’m perplexed by it.”
While there seem to be more questions each time the case of Celeste Rivas Hernandez is discussed, it seems important that finally, the case seems to be treated as a murder. For now, true crime followers clearly need to be patient until something more definitive emerges.
Viewers React
In the comments section, there was some puzzlement, and a lot of frustration. One viewer of the latest updates about D4VD and Celeste Rivas Hernandez said sarcastically, “Who could have thought a dismembered body in an abandoned car would be murder.”
Here are a few more opinions from the discussion:
- One possible scenario is that someone in David Anthony Burke’s circle became angry with him. They removed her remains from a freezer, and moved it to David’s car. They parked it where it would be towed. They did this to get David Anthony Burke caught.
- This “compromise the investigation” or “ fair trial for the defendant” excuse not to divulge information is becoming ridiculous.
- In the D4vid case the medical examiner and police hate each other??? That sounds exactly like something that would happen in California.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below, and come back here often for all your true crime news and updates.