d4vd legal drama no clearer as witness fails to attend Celeste Rivas death hearing
Witness does not turn up to Los Angeles court as grand jury proceedings stall
Legal proceedings involving the US singer d4vd have stalled after a witness reportedly failed to cooperate.
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This week a grand jury, which can act in America as the CPS does in Britain, has been deciding whether there is enough evidence to bring an indictment after the death of Celeste Rivas.
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It comes after Los Angeles police found the dismembered body of the missing 15-year-old inside a Tesla car, which belonged to the singer, 20, whose name is pronounced ‘David’.
d4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, has cancelled all tour dates including a show in the UK but has so far not been charged with the death of Ms Rivas.
In November he was “identified as a suspect” although the cause of the death has not yet been determined after Ms Rivas went missing at age 13 from Lake Elsinore, California, in April 2024.
The body was found in September and police raided his home in the aftermath.
This week, a grand jury has been hearing from a prosecutor ahead of deciding whether criminal charges will be brought. This will not decide on innocence or guilt as it is not a trial.
But TMZ reported on Wednesday that a witness did not show up to the hearing, which represented a blow to attorneys who were hoping to move proceedings forward.
The unnamed female witness is now set to herself enter court for not being cooperative.
d4vd has not commented and proceedings are set to continue.
What is a grand jury?
A grand jury is a process in the American criminal charging process, where a group of typically 16-23 citizens decide whether there is probable cause to bring an indictment.
Only the prosecution presents to this jury and the members do not decide on guilt or innocence, only if the case should even go to trial.
Grand juries decide on serious crimes and they elect for an indictment in the vast majority of cases, but a totally different jury would be at a trial.
The UK has not had grand juries for decades and this function, of deciding whether there is enough evidence for a realistic prosecution, is fulfilled by the Crown Prosecution Service.