423: Inside the Courtroom for D4vd’s Evidence Hearing: Horrifying New Details & Extremely Disturbing Evidence

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  A California court hearing preliminary arguments in the case against David Anthony Burke.

• 2:43Speaker 04

  He's accused of murder in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

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  David is facing multiple charges after the teen's dismembered body was found in his Tesla last year.

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  We get a look at the detailed evidence in this case, including testimony from a police detective. Disturbing pictures of the teen's dismembered body. I was told that there were, you know, gasps in the courtroom.

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  He is said to have showed little if any emotion whatsoever.

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  This is the first time that we actually get to see what the prosecution's evidence is.

• 3:21Speaker 00

  Hey, true crime besties. Welcome back to an all-new episode of Seriallessly.

• 3:45Speaker 00

  Hello, hello, hello, and welcome back to an all-new episode of Seriallessly with me, Annie Elise. I hope you are having, I mean, I guess I hope you are having a good day so far, except the problem with that is I am no doubt about to ruin it for you. I mean, this case, guys, it's the David case that we're going to be talking about, which I'm sure you already noticed by the title. It's also a bonus episode. I'm releasing it outside of the normal release schedule, just because that's how important I believe it is to discuss what is going on in this case. I've also been covering it for, gosh, I don't know, the better part of a year now, following it very closely, working on some projects behind the scenes regarding this case that I'm not able to share yet, but

• 4:29Speaker 00

  have been following it very, very closely. And the preliminary hearing began last week. Now, when I say, "I didn't think that it could get much worse," it got worse. And I've seen a lot of things floating around out there too, as if it's, you know, new revelations, the cause of death and what that is, the underage relationship. And those are all things that we knew based on the prosecutor's brief that was released in April. I know I covered that with you as well, where we went through the itemized list of everything, which, don't worry, I'll get, I'll do a recap of all of that and a recap of the case as well, for those of you who haven't been following along as closely or maybe aren't as familiar.

• 5:11Speaker 00

  But even so, with the prosecutor's brief that came out in April and the laundry list of allegations and what I believe is compelling evidence against David, there still was more that came out through the preliminary hearing. Disturbing details, horrific photos shown, and just a very heavy week. Now, I'm in New York right now. I sent one of our team members to go to the courthouse and cover the hearing in person. You may have heard about it a little bit on social media, and don't worry if you did, I'm going to get to all of that in a bit too. But I really just wanted to have her go to have a sense too of what it was like in the courtroom, the emotion, the things that you can't simply get from the

• 5:56Speaker 00

  recaps. What was David's demeanor? Was he emotionless? How was he responding when certain exhibits were shown? What was the vibe and the energy like in the courtroom? And just everything that you can't really get a sense for unless you're inside the courtroom. Now, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the difference with a preliminary hearing and a trial, let me just break it down a little bit. A prelim is basically where the state presents their evidence to say, "There is certainly more than enough evidence to take this forward to trial." Then the judge is the one who ultimately decides, "Yes or no, there's enough evidence, let's move this forward to trial," or, "No, I don't believe

• 6:37Speaker 00

  you've made your case, there's not enough evidence. This is all either circumstantial, questionable, whatever it may be." In my opinion, not only based on the prosecutor's brief that was outlined back in April, which also included all the Santa Barbara trips and everything else that people have been talking about, a little more in-depth through the preliminary hearing, but again, we did know about the majority of these things. But based on what they presented in the prosecutor's brief in April, I already was of the opinion that there was more than enough evidence. Now, I'm even more sure of that. However, it does get a little bit complicated, because during these preliminary hearings, it's the defense's job, just like it is during a trial, to poke holes, to cast doubt, to

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  question the integrity of the investigation. And sure enough, that's what happened here as well. Now, do I think that that's going to stick? Not necessarily. I believe, again, that there is more than enough overwhelming evidence that will prove that there is plenty of information and evidence to go to trial. But never say never. I've been surprised before, à la Casey Anthony. So if you've been following this case, then you know that we have been waiting for this preliminary hearing for months. And again, let me just tell you, these last several days have been packed with not only some new evidence, but very disturbing testimony, details about evidence that we've already heard about, but disturbing

• 8:05Speaker 00

  details that tie within it and like layer on top of it, and really some bombshell claims from both the prosecution and the defense. So there is a lot that we need to unpack today. Now, over the course of this hearing, prosecutors laid out what they say is the roadmap that David used of how 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was groomed, murdered, and then ultimately dismembered by David. Now, jurors, again, were not present for this because it wasn't a trial, it was only a prelim, but the judge heard all this testimony. Testimony about blood evidence, digital evidence, purchases that the prosecutors say had been

• 8:45Speaker 00

  made by David to, as methods to dispose of her body, and again, diving in deeper into David's trips to Santa Barbara in the middle of the night, in the days, actually the day of, and the weeks after her murder. We also learned heartbreaking new details about Celeste herself, and the fact that she became pregnant at just 13 years old and underwent a termination. And we already know that there were allegations of the grooming and the sexual relationships, or I shouldn't say relationships, because it's not a relationship, but the sexual relations between the two of them, starting at such a young age. And by the way, they say he started grooming her when she was just 11 years old. But now to hear that it was confirmed

• 9:30Speaker 00

  that through their text messages, that she terminated a pregnancy at just being 13, 14 years old, it is so heartbreaking for that little girl. Especially when you think, and I don't know if you know this detail, and don't worry, I'm going to get into more of this too as we go, I know I'm jumping ahead, but one of the last messages that she had sent to him, not last, but like in the months leading up to her murder, was, "I feel like all we do is hang out and have sex, and I want more for myself." She was young, but she was wise, and she knew that what she felt, that that wasn't love, this wasn't real, she wanted more for her life. But instead of allowing her freedom to go be herself,

• 10:11Speaker 00

  to grow into her own person, he allegedly decided to play God, snatch her life away from her, and then dispose of her in the most cruel possible way. Because in addition to everything we heard, the medical examiner also testified to the horrific conditions that her remains were found as. And when I talk horrific, I don't even know if I can truly paint the picture of how bad this was. First of all, we know that she was dismembered and stuffed, quite literally, in the front trunk of David's Tesla, okay? She also was decomposing, and not early stages of decomposition, not that that would make it any better, but

• 10:54Speaker 00

  she, her alleged death date was April 23, 2025. The Tesla didn't get dumped until the end of July, it didn't get discovered until September. So that is May, June, July, August, four and a half months of Celeste's sweet little body just decaying, decaying. And so much so that once she was recovered, she weighed only 71 pounds. Because there was essentially no blood left. Bodily gases, fluids, all of that. Slipage, and I know that that is so disgusting and so graphic, but I'm really trying to just illustrate

• 11:34Speaker 00

  for you what a true monster he, or whoever I'm saying, you know, loosely, alleged allegedly, because innocent until proven guilty, although I got your number, David, I think you're guilty. But it takes a true monster to do something so heinous. Investigators also testified that one of her fingers had never been recovered, which we'll talk about a little bit later. We know that she was dismembered. We know some fingers were cut off of her left hand because, and this is something learned also in the prosecutor's brief, but they touched more on it during this prelim, one of the finger, one of her fingers had David's name tattooed. So it's my belief that he was trying to, he thought,

• 12:16Speaker 00

  I think, that he would get away with this crime. He was trying to make sure that she would never be identified. So I believe he took that finger, possibly kept it as a trophy, then got rid of it. And I know I keep saying this, so I apologize, but I will get into all of the details of that later. In another very disturbing detail that was, came out recently, David, on Twitter, because he's very active on social media, he was, you know, a celebrity, a singer, he was having his album release party days after the murder. He was going on tour when he dumped the Tesla, wanted the fame, the glory, everything. Just seven days after he allegedly murdered Celeste,

• 12:57Speaker 00

  he tweeted the word decay. Just that, a single word, decay. While her body was allegedly beginning to decay in his house in the Hollywood Hills, while he was partying, while he was having his album release party, while he didn't have a care in the world, so much so, he didn't have a care in the world, that he had the audacity to tweet the word decay. A little on the nose, right? We also know, though, from his music video, Romantic Homicide, and when he was on tour, the casket, the blood, all of those things. It's almost as though he was living in some fantasy world to where he was mixing the two, fantasy and reality, and that maybe

• 13:41Speaker 00

  he was so detached that he didn't care what was happening. He didn't, and I don't want to say he didn't, you know, understand the depths of his actions. I absolutely believe he did. I believe in my soul and my heart that he is a monster and evil, just through and through. But it's almost as though he just doesn't care. And I think that's also pretty evident, based on his reaction in the courtroom during all of these days long of this preliminary hearing. And we'll talk through those details, too. The courtroom also saw graphic photographs that left family members visibly emotional, so much so that at times, the prosecutor had to check on Celeste's parents, mouthing to them, are you okay? Are you okay?

• 14:24Speaker 00

  All while David sat expressionless, just staring blankly, almost through people, through all of their testimony. Yet meanwhile, the defense, grasping at straws, which that's the defense's job, I know what they are hired to do, they were aggressively pushing back, questioning the integrity of the investigation, challenging evidence that was collected and processed, and the procedure of all of that, even suggesting, okay, going as far to suggest that the two sharp force injuries, the two stab wounds, that were determined to be Celeste's cause of death, that they may have been self-inflicted.

• 15:06Speaker 00

  And I think they're laying the groundwork for something here, which, once I get through all the days, I'm gonna share with you what I think, based on my experience covering so many different murder trials, I'm gonna let you in on what I believe the defense's strategy is going to be, if this goes to trial, or when it goes to trial. And we'll see if I'm correct with that. They also said that not only could those sharp force injuries be self-inflicted, which the prosecutors strongly dispute, but they say that she was lashing out because she didn't want David to leave her. That this was, you know, trying to paint her as this disturbed,

• 15:50Speaker 00

  emotional, unregulated little girl. It's sick. It is sick. So today, I'm going to take you through everything, day by day, witness by witness, what our correspondent saw in the courtroom, a little bit of what happened, too, because there was a big error made on my part, which I will own and fully admit to, and I'll talk through more of those details. But I'm gonna talk through all the way, all the way through the latest testimony that came out just minutes before I sat down to record this episode. We're gonna go through everything. We're gonna break down what was presented by the prosecution, what the defense was arguing, what evidence appears the strongest, and where this case goes from here. Now, because there were a lot of headlines coming out after this hearing, I'm sure you've

• 16:35Speaker 00

  seen, you know, drips and drabs of everything, but the full story, it's even more shocking. So I want to get right into it, and I want to start with a little bit of the backstory for those of you who are not as familiar with this case, just so that you can be fully caught up. As I said, it is the David case, otherwise known David Anthony Burke. And I do feel like everybody knows about this case by now, but if you're new, let me just kind of give you the breakdown. David is a man who has been charged with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Her dismembered remains ultimately ended up being recovered from his Tesla back in September of 2025.

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  So the prosecution, for months now, has been arguing, and stating that David started grooming Celeste when she was just 11 years old, that then the two of them developed, I don't want to say a relationship, because I don't believe you can have a relationship with an underage minor, but the two of them were seeing each other, or had some sort of relationship with one another over the years, which he hid, he lied about her age, it was sexual in nature, and it was just really bad. Then, as the state is alleging, on April 23, 2025, he lured her over to his house in the Hollywood Hills, sent an Uber for her to her house in Lake Elsinore, so that he could murder her. And the reason they believe this happened is because

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  Celeste was going to expose their relationship, which, because she was a minor, 13 years old at the time when this murder allegedly happened, then he would have stood to lose tons. I mean, he had a new album that was about to be released, he had all sorts of fame, celebrity, he was going on tour. So the way the prosecution frames it, and what they framed it like in their brief months ago, was that he planned to kill her, to silence her, so that she wouldn't expose their relationship, and he wouldn't lose everything, which, hello, look how well that worked out, because you probably are gonna lose everything. So he's currently facing charges for first degree murder, and also special circumstances

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  attached, including lying in wait, which is for him bringing her in the Uber and luring her to his house, continuous sexual assault of a child under the age of 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. And to give you a recap of the timeline again, too, they believe that the murder happened April 23, 2025. Then, David was the last one seen driving the Tesla when it was left on the Blue Bird Road, or Blue Jay Road, or whatever, Blue Road, right up the road from his house, at the end of July. Then her remains were discovered in a tow lot in September after that Tesla had been towed, and they identified the odor. So it was really bad. He was charged and held without bail back in April.

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  Now, fast forward to last week, when the preliminary hearing took place, and this really was gonna be the moment that the state could present the majority of their evidence, not all of it, but a good chunk of it, to say, look, we have plenty of evidence to move this forward to trial, here's what we've got. They already did outline quite a bit in their prosecutor's brief from back in April, which outlined a lot of the evidence that I knew we were gonna hear about in the prelim, but I also knew they'd bring up more evidence in the prelim. So let me recap some of what was already in the brief, and then we will go into what was exposed during the prelim. So there were descriptions of CSAM material found on his devices, showing Celeste when

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  she was just 13 or 14 years old, numerous text messages between the two of them that were evidence of their sexual relationship, messages where they talked about pregnancy, termination, the Plan B pill, a lot of conversations. Activity from his communication devices showing his activity going to Santa Barbara in the middle of the night. He did about three trips to Santa Barbara, one of which being the night of the alleged murder. Surveillance video of him driving his Tesla on July 29th, 2025, when he dumped it before going out on tour. DNA evidence, proof of Amazon purchases, where he purchased under a fake name but delivery to his house, chainsaws, a kiddie

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  pool, cadaver bags. He postmated a shovel from Home Depot. He had ordered a heavy-duty burn cage, you know, an incinerator to his property that was boxed and unused, but we'll talk more about that later, too. And so they had all sorts of evidence against him. They also showed the transaction in his Uber account, showing that he had ordered her an Uber from her house in Lake Elsinore to his house in the Hollywood Hills area on April 23rd, 2025. So, all of this seemed like enough evidence, but still, they had to go through the motions of the preliminary hearing. And that's really where we're at now, because he's been held without bail this whole time. His defense, though, has been arguing, he's

• 21:38Speaker 00

  innocent, he can't wait to prove his innocence, we're going to illustrate that. All the things that you would expect from a defense attorney, right? So, on Monday, everything kicked off before the prelims start with the defense attorney, Blair Burke, filing a motion to request courtroom deputies to remove David's handcuffs and all of his other restraints during the prelim hearing. She said that her client has never attempted to escape while in custody, has never been disruptive, and has made five, what she called, uneventful appearances in court in this case since his first arrest. She also cited legal rulings that restraint, sorry, she also cited legal rulings that restraints should be as minimal

• 22:20Speaker 00

  as necessary, because it sometimes can, you know, impede somebody's perspective on the case, especially when there's a jury trial, it can sway them sometimes. So, the judge ruled that while the handcuffs could be removed, while at the defense table, his leg shackles were to remain on. So, you know, met in the middle a little bit. Then, on Tuesday, the prelim starts. Before the hearing started, prosecutor Beth Silverman talked with Celeste's parents, warning them that what they were about to see was some very gruesome photos, very disturbing evidence, and, you know, a lot of graphic testimony was about to be introduced during the hearing, and it was. So, the hearing started around 11:30 a.m.

• 23:02Speaker 00

  Pacific time. David appeared in court in an orange jumpsuit. He was escorted in by the sheriff, and then, once he was seated, the handcuffs were removed, but his legs stayed shackled underneath the table. During the hearing, David looked forward, he took notes, he sipped on his water, he sometimes blankly just stared at the witnesses, almost seemed emotionless, which, I'll be honest, I don't know, it's not too surprising, in my opinion. So, the first witness to testify was the LA County Sheriff's Deputy Juan Gonzalez. He said that he and another deputy went to David's home on February 17th, 2024, which this is more than a year before the alleged murder took place. But he said that he went

• 23:44Speaker 00

  to the home at the request of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department after investigators found David's phone number in Celeste's phone records. They went to the property, they informed him of her age, and they told him that they were gonna, you know, be speaking with him about Celeste. Because also, prior to this murder, there was a long period of time in which Celeste had run away from home multiple times, and had even been reported as a missing child at one point. So, because she lived in Lake Elsinore, that is technically Riverside County, which is why they got involved, saw the connection through the phone records, and then went to David's house to speak with him. So, body cam footage that was shown in court captured David inviting these deputies inside, trying to kind of almost like buddy

• 24:28Speaker 00

  buddy up with them, saying, hey, just to let you know, like, there's alcohol in the fridge. And then he described the house as an artist compound for Interscope Artists, which that's the label, I'm assuming, well, it is, I'm not assuming. And so, he's trying to like buddy up with them, being like, hey, I've got beer, this is like an artist area where all the Interscope artists come, and we record, and like, we create, but like, let me get you a beer, da-da-da-da. And to which the deputy was like, uh, it's all good, I'm not here for any of that. Like, I couldn't care less that you are an artist, and that you're trying to flex your fame on me right now, and that you're offering me a beer, like, get out of here, we're not buddies. So, David told investigators that he had met Celeste

• 25:09Speaker 00

  on Discord and Instagram. He said that he saw her once in person at a house in Lake Elsinore back on November 12th, 2023, and then last spoke with her on February 13th. The address that he gave for where he met with her at the house was just a few blocks away from Celeste's family home. So, possibly a friend's house, maybe a made-up address, who really knows. But he also insisted that Celeste had told him she was 18 years old, saying, you know, everybody's saying she's 13, she's 13, but then David was shown, and David showed the deputies the missing person flyer, because this was before the murder, but when she was reported missing. And he said, he showed him, sorry, I can't talk,

• 25:51Speaker 00

  he showed them the flyer that was on his phone, and the deputy photographed it. And then he also apparently showed Celeste's 6th grade yearbook photo, a photo where she's shown wearing a black Batman sweatshirt. Which, I'm sorry, I don't care, I've seen these photos of Celeste. She looks like a young child. So, I don't care what you're trying to say, if she told me she was 18, you're showing her 6th grade yearbook photo, you're showing her missing person flyer, she does not look 18 years old. So, sure enough, Deputy Gonzalez pushed back too, being like, does she look 13 to you? To which David replied, no, this was when she was 13, this is in 6th grade, but they're now saying that this

• 26:32Speaker 00

  was taken last year, and that's as he held up the yearbook photo. So, in my opinion, trying to make excuses, skirt around taking responsibility, and having knowledge that she's a minor, and just all around gross. So, the second witness that was brought up to the stand was LAPD robbery homicide detective Josh Byers. Now, before he began his testimony, the court asked Celeste's parents, and I believe a couple other people who were there, if they would like to leave before the detective's testimony, but both of her parents opted to stay. Whoever says saving money is hard doesn't know that new customers who bundle and save with Progressive save hundreds. Because switching your home and auto insurance is way better than cutting down on the things you love, like those iced lattes that help

• 27:17Speaker 00

  you get ready to face the day. So, switch your home and auto to Progressive and see if you could save and keep sipping away. Get your quote today at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company affiliates and other insurers, not available in all states. So, Detective Josh testified that Celeste's body was in an advanced state of decomposition when it was found inside the impounded Tesla back on September 8th, 2025. The detective testified that the remains included a torso, head, severed extremities, and he also told the court that some limbs contained blue plastic or fiber fragments embedded in cut surfaces, and this becomes important later on. He said that investigators

• 28:00Speaker 00

  could not make out her facial features because the decomposition and skin slippage had left her unrecognizable, noting that he also observed insects, maggots, eggs, and flies on Celeste's face and throughout the crime scene. Which you can imagine, these are highly disturbing details to hear for anybody, let alone her parents. But then, it even went further, and imagery was shown. The court also heard that after the body was discovered in the Tesla, Celeste's father contacted police fearing that it was his daughter. Detectives later obtained the dental records to assist with identification. He also told the jury that several fingers had been severed from one of her hands. And this is really interesting,

• 28:45Speaker 00

  because we knew about the two fingers from her left hand being severed back from the prosecutor's brief in April. However, one of those fingers has never been recovered. And I, I've been following this case very closely for the better part of almost a year now, and also, I can't share too much, but I've been working behind the scenes very closely on this case, and one of the people I spoke with, who I can't name, I talked with them about that missing finger, saying, because it is rumored to either have had David's name on it, or something identifying him, I know she had the matching shush tattoo as well. But I had said, like, do you think that he took that as a trophy? Was it simply

• 29:26Speaker 00

  to just make sure that nobody would ever find it and then identify her, because he was hoping that she would decompose so badly, and maybe he disposed of it, flushed it, did something? And that finger, still to this day, has never been found, which, at this point, would be very difficult to find it, because, and I know this is really gross, but I've spoken with experts on decomp, and the consistency would be that of like Play-Doh, unfortunately. And so, it could easily be flushed, it could be in the sewer system, it could be buried, it could be anywhere. So they start talking about the missing fingers and then graphic crime scene photos were shown in court, which again prosecutors warned Celeste's family that they needed to look away before they put the photo up of the right index finger with the shush tattoo

• 30:11Speaker 00

  on it, the only photo of which in which Celeste was still recognizable. Now during this moment, David locked in on these photos while they were displayed, all while audible gasps came from the courtroom as everybody was looking at this. The testimony was of course incredibly difficult for Celeste's family to hear and at one point a spectator had to fan Celeste's mom because it looked like she was about to faint. Throughout the entire graphic testimony, she silently just bowed her head and looked away from the screen while Celeste's father watched with just a very sad expression and repeatedly was checking in on his wife. The DA Beth Silverman was also seen mouthing to the family, "Are you okay?"

• 30:54Speaker 00

  And she did this multiple times as each side was, as each slide had been presented with these photos. Investigators also presented evidence recovered from David's garage, including items that matched online and retail purchases that were made under the alias account Trevon Davis and Victoria Mendez, these two fake names that he used when order allegedly, when ordering these items and tools, yet they still were delivered to his house. So prosecutors then laid out what they described as a paper trail leading up to and after the alleged murder. Receipts from April 24th, 2025, the day after this murder is believed to have happened.

• 31:37Speaker 00

  These receipts show purchases of a shovel that was delivered through Postmates. There were also four, there were also more receipts for a blue inflatable pool, fireproof floor mats from Amazon, a Makita chainsaw through Home Depot, which by the way, has never been recovered, and a Lowe's mop system, matching a mop system that was found in David's garage. Investigators also found an unopened burn cage incinerator that was hidden in a box behind the piano at David's home. Digital forensic evidence showed David's phone, which was named Tranquilizer, last connected to the Tesla on July 29th, 2025, which happens to also be the same day that surveillance

• 32:19Speaker 00

  footage and receipts showed him driving the vehicle before parking it on Bluebird Avenue and then walking back home through the alley. So on cross-examination, David's defense focused heavily on how investigators handled the evidence, arguing that there were gaps in the investigation, questioning whether or not proper procedures were followed, and doing everything that they could possibly try to do to dismantle this and to poke holes in the credibility of it. They pointed out that officers from three different agencies, Hollywood Division, West Bureau, and Robbery/Homicide, entered the scene before the crime scene team was able to process it. They also questioned why the cadaver bag containing Celeste's torso and head wasn't

• 33:01Speaker 00

  preserved or tested for DNA before being destroyed, though detectives testified that it was too damaged to keep beyond removing the handles and the zipper. The defense though challenged why investigators didn't maintain an official sign-in log for everyone who entered the home, also why the exterior of that burn box and the Tesla weren't tested, and why two chainsaws that were found inside the house weren't retained for DNA testing after initial blood screening came back negative. The defense also challenged investigators' claim that a light blue iPhone, which is an iPhone 15 Pro Max, was recovered from David's home, that it belonged to him. The detective testified on direct examination that he identified the phone as David's based

• 33:44Speaker 00

  on data that had been recovered from the device, including selfies and other personal content. But on cross-exam, the defense pointed to a search warrant affidavit for Celeste's iCloud account and associated email address, including a different name, [email protected], questioning whether investigators had previously linked the phone to Celeste instead. So even though it had selfies of David on it and has some of his personal content, was that Celeste's phone, possibly? When questioned about the warrant, Detective Byer said that he did not recall its specific wording until he reviewed it. After reading the affidavit, he testified that it identified the email account as Celeste,

• 34:29Speaker 00

  but not the phone itself. ADA Beth Silverman objected that the defense was being argumentative after the exchange became pretty heated, and the defense responded that it believed that the people would ultimately attribute both the phone and the contents of the phone to David. The judge then directed counsel to move on. So that was pretty much all that happened Tuesday. It was kind of kicking things off, again, it started late in the, later in the afternoon, 11:30, so it was just getting things started, going through the imagery, the recovery of Celeste's remains, and then starting to go through the tech data and the other evidence. Now before we get into everything that happened on Wednesday, I do want to mention something that you might have seen online a little bit, but because I'm in New York, I sent a

• 35:12Speaker 00

  team member to cover the prelim, which is something we've done in a lot of cases when I can't get to everywhere and to everything. So on Wednesday, she was allowed inside the courtroom alongside press and was given permission to use her laptop to take notes. We use Google Docs for everything, which is on a shared drive, so as she was taking her notes and updating the Google Doc, I saw all of the updates coming in in real time. Then, when she notated that one of the witnesses was excused, I mistakenly thought that that meant that they were going on recess. So I took a quick little social media video update, letting you guys know what had happened so far that day, and posted it online. The issue was, and the issue is, this court doesn't allow information to be live transmitted

• 35:56Speaker 00

  while proceedings are in session. Everything becomes a part of court record and public record, and you're allowed to release all of that information during the scheduled breaks throughout the day, but that information cannot be transmitted while court is in session. So that misunderstanding was entirely my mistake. I posted the update before recess had officially begun because I thought that they had started it and I shouldn't have posted that update. So as soon as we realized what had happened, we apologized to the court, took full responsibility. Then the following day, she, the team member, was back in court and the judge addressed her in the courtroom, asking whether or not she understood the court's rules, that there was no live transmitting, to which she explained, "100%, we understand there was no attempt

• 36:39Speaker 00

  to live transmit any of this information. It was a misunderstanding with my boss seeing everything coming through, thinking we went on recess, and then sharing the information." To my knowledge, the judge understood that and realized it wasn't anything done maliciously or with ill intent, so she barred her from the courtroom for that day, but said that she was welcome to come back the following day. So I want to be clear, I take full responsibility for that, and I always want to respect and follow the court rules, I always have, always will, and don't try to, you know, be sneaky in any way, so I own that completely. We've changed the processes so that nothing like that can ever happen again. But with that said, wanted to quickly address it, and I will appreciate everybody who's

• 37:22Speaker 00

  given me the opportunity to acknowledge the mistake and to move forward from it and learn from it, but you know, wanted to at least mention that here. So now let's get into what happened on Wednesday inside the courtroom and what we learned throughout the evidence that was presented. So David, day two, the morning session seemed to focus on building the motive to support the charge of murder and this charge of murder for financial gain, because again, they think that David was trying to silence Celeste so that his career wouldn't be exposed, he wouldn't lose millions of dollars, the underage relationship, you know, wouldn't cancel him and destroy him. So the prosecution's first witness was David's money manager.

• 38:06Speaker 00

  He testified that he had only ever heard Celeste's first name before her body was found, and he said that he learned it from David's manager, Rob. When prosecutors asked whether David's manager referred to Celeste as David's girlfriend, the defense objected before he could even answer, trying to obviously probably like not trip himself up. He also testified that nearly all of David's finances were handled by his mother, Colleen, who he communicated with about 10 times a month between 2024 and 2025. According to him, Colleen managed David's accounts, transferred money, monitored balances, and paid all of his credit card bills. He said that David never even asked how much money he was making or how much he was expected to earn.

• 38:48Speaker 00

  He also revealed that a man who was only identified as Sheldon, lived at David's home for about six months and acted as his security guard, though he said that they never discussed what happened inside the residence. And I'm working on figuring out more information about this Sheldon person and what exactly their role and everything was. So the money manager also testified that he knew that David had taken Celeste to London, but he was unaware of a trip that they took to Texas to meet David's family. When prosecutors asked whether or not he knew that David had allegedly taken Celeste to nightclubs using fake IDs, the defense immediately objected once again before he could answer, because at this point, he was basically like, you were acting as his security

• 39:31Speaker 00

  and his driver, so when you were driving them around to nightclubs all throughout Hollywood... Celeste had a fake ID. Did you know that? If you did know that, obviously you would infer that she was underage. So did you have knowledge of this underage relationship? Again, trying to really lay foundation for the underage relationship, layered on top of that, the financial motivation, and then the crime itself. So then the prosecution called Interscope Records Senior Vice President of Finance, and that person testified that David's recording deal was worth between 13 million and 19 million dollars, in addition to millions more in endorsements, in advances, in partnerships and sponsorships with Hollister, Crocs,

• 40:15Speaker 00

  Bose, all sorts of things. And I believe it was like each album was a minimum guarantee of 3 million, and then upwards could be 6 million, and he had like a handful of albums planned out. So yeah, he had tens of millions, tens of millions of dollars at stake to lose here. Prosecutors argued that David personally signed these major contracts too, and that he also may have maintained unrecorded accounts allegedly used to purchase plane tickets to London for himself and Celeste, all while the defense maintained that his mother controlled the finances. So being like, no, he took this minor out of the country, bought the plane tickets, marked these plane tickets too, as a unaccompanied minor traveling overseas,

• 41:00Speaker 00

  and but yet they were trying to say, no, the mom did all the finances. The mom did all the finances, which is like, hi, she would then not be guilty of murder, but guilty of knowledge of this underage relationship, right? So prosecutors next called California Highway Patrol Officer Sean, who testified that on January 7th, 2026, which this is now after the murder, and after the discovery of Celeste's remains, it's January of this year. He said he responded after a Caltrans worker found Celeste's passport card along Highway 154 in Santa Barbara County. He said that the worker discovered the passport card in the brush after the recent rain, then searched Celeste's name online, since that was the name on the card,

• 41:44Speaker 00

  realized that she was a missing child, and called the police. After confirming her missing person status, he photographed the scene, documented the location with GPS coordinates, and notified the LAPD. The court was also shown Celeste's passport card, where she in this photo, again, appeared to be very young. And this is really important, because the night of the alleged murder, David took a trip to Santa Barbara from LA, around midnight, I believe it was, then came back. Then, between that period of time and the Tesla being dumped, he took two more trips to Santa Barbara. They're gonna get more into this. I believe it was to destroy and dispose of evidence. I think that that night of the murder,

• 42:28Speaker 00

  he probably took her stuff up there through her purse, through her ID card. Maybe that's why he had ordered the shovel the next day, because he wanted to bury it. Who really knows? But it was to dispose of evidence. Then he took a couple other trips up to Santa Barbara. So that's why Santa Barbara is significant within the timeline of all of this. So the afternoon session then shifted focus to the forensic evidence and the investigation itself. The prosecution called LAPD criminalist Chelsea, who walked everybody through the Tesla evidence. She testified that investigators found 11 air fresheners inside the Tesla. Also that they found maggots, flies, and heavy insect activity, including all in that front trunk area, otherwise known as the frunk,

• 43:13Speaker 00

  saying that there were stains all throughout the Tesla, reddish stains throughout the Tesla, that they were tested using Blue Star, which is a forensic chemical similar to luminol, and so that it could detect possible blood. And the court was shown images of glowing stains in the trunk, also in the hidden storage compartment within the trunk, which if you're not familiar with the Tesla, it's like you have your trunk, then there's like, on the flat surface, another panel that opens up, where there's like a dropdown bucket below it, where you can store more stuff. So think of it, whereas if you're putting groceries in the trunk, but you want to keep things cool, you put, you know, produce or milk in that bottom one, where he was obviously storing other things. So they showed photos of the glowing stains in the trunk,

• 43:55Speaker 00

  that hidden storage compartment, and then also the third row seats. Now, when asked if the third row staining was consistent with the victim having been placed there, she answered yes. And this is one of the updates that I had put out there last week. This is important, because the alleged murder happened on April 23rd. He didn't order supplies for over a week to carry out the concealment and dismemberment, meaning he would have had to store Celeste's body somewhere. People were also in and out of that house all the time. It was a party house, it was an entourage house. He also had an album release party there, just days after this alleged murder. So it's my belief that he

• 44:38Speaker 00

  could have placed her inside the car to conceal her body before then figuring out or ordering the supplies to figure out what to do with her, and that that is then what they were seeing. It also could be blood transfer from transporting tools. One of the chainsaws was never recovered. That could have been what he buried up in Santa Barbara. Maybe the chainsaw was in the backseat, and it was blood transference. I don't know, but he would have had to store her body somewhere until he got those tools. Then at that point, he could have put her in the bags, put that in the front trunk, and then have, you know, kept her in there for months until he dumped the Tesla up the street in July.

• 45:22Speaker 00

  During cross-exam, she said that the detectives were outside the tow yard when she arrived, and she testified that she collected touch DNA swabs and documented damage to the Tesla, but that they did not swab the vehicle's exterior. She also clarified that the testing showed presumptive blood, but that she could not confirm it was blood, basically meaning that this Blue Star luminol-type spray, it does show fluid of what could possibly be blood, but it's not guaranteed that it was blood. So on redirect, the criminalist explained that the crime scene photos were enhanced, not photoshopped, but enhanced, meaning that they were only adjusted to make evidence easier to see without changing the original images.

• 46:05Speaker 00

  The prosecution then called another criminalist with LAPD Forensic Science Division, Lauren Wallace. She talked about the search of David's Hollywood Hills homes, and said that her team was asked to look for biological evidence. And she said that she first checked for visible stains before using chemical testing to reveal evidence that couldn't be seen with the naked eye. She testified that investigators found two chainsaws in the garage too, a larger, black and reddish-orange chainsaw, and a smaller, pink handheld chainsaw. Both, though, tested negative for possible blood. She also confirmed that they never recovered the 10-inch Makita chainsaw that the investigators were looking for.

• 46:48Speaker 00

  So it's very possible that he had ordered multiple tools, either to enlist help from somebody in his entourage, or because he wasn't sure which tool was going to be most effective, and then the two chainsaws that were found without blood evidence, maybe he didn't use, and then the one that they are unable to find is gone, maybe buried somewhere, kind of like Brian Koberger with the knife, which I think he buried. So also found in the garage were jugs and trays of fake blood that were presumably linked to music videos and stage props of his. We know he had that song, "Romantic homicide." There was a music video where it was, you know, funeral, blood, guts, gore. So they did find jugs and trays of fake blood.

• 47:33Speaker 00

  She then testified about the garage's rubber gym-style floor mats, because it's a three-car garage, and on the one-car garage side, it's been converted to a gym with black rubber floor mats and exercise equipment. There, they said, on these floor mats, investigators found multiple linear cuts and gashes. Also, several reddish stains on the mats tested positive with that chemical and were collected for testing. Another positive stain was found on the Tesla charging cable as well. Then the court was shown Blue Star images of the mats and the brick floor underneath, because it's not regular concrete on the garage, it's brick flooring. And there were lots of areas that lit up,

• 48:16Speaker 00

  indicating that it was possible blood that may have seeped through the mats. She also discussed other evidence that was collected from the garage, including a black garbage bag and a black and green tarp, all of which tested positive for presumptive blood. She also testified about that blue inflatable pool that had been found in the garage, which was ordered through online purchase history. And they said that it was crumpled up, it smelled like fresh laundry, but it had no visible stains. However, investigators processed it with Blue Star, just to be sure, and inside, she also found a dryer sheet that had been rolled up with this pool. The significance of this kitty pool, or this blow-up pool, is that it's believed that in order to contain the spillage

• 49:01Speaker 00

  while dismembering Celeste, he would have placed her in this pool so that it wouldn't seep onto the brick, with brick being so porous, and leave behind tons of evidence. So the court was shown photos of the pool, including a top side where the dryer sheet was visible inside. They said that they sprayed the pool with Blue Star and collected it for evidence. Then the court had about a 10-minute pause. The judge began by reminding both sides that they needed permission before photographing anything that was shown inside the courtroom. And she also noted that both attorneys had recently finished another intense trial, which might explain why there was some of the tension that was happening between sides in the courtroom.

• 49:44Speaker 00

  Back on the stand, prosecutors continued questioning Lauren Wallace about that blue inflatable pool that was found in the garage. And she testified that investigators found multiple cuts in the pool that appeared to have been made by a sharp object, suggesting that the chainsaw went too far a few times and nicked the pool. During cross-examination, the defense focused on the chemical testing aspect, and she confirmed that investigators also used Blue Star on the second-floor interior and used both during the investigation. She explained that the tests can't confirm human blood, only that a substance that is presumatively blood was there, and that additional lab testing would need to confirm it.

• 50:28Speaker 00

  The defense also questioned why some items that tested negative were still collected, which she explained that they were preserved for possible additional testing. When asked about those chainsaws that had been found on top of a cabinet in the garage, she testified that there were two saws and that they were visible in the original crime scene photos before investigators then moved them for further testing. The defense then returned to that dryer sheet that was found inside the blue pool, and she confirmed that she did not collect the dryer sheet. She left it at the garage. They also revisited the black trash bags that were found in the garage from September 17th, 2025. And the court was shown photos of these trash bags as well, which contained white stained wipes.

• 51:11Speaker 00

  And she clarified that the term "inner trash bag" and "outer trash bag" that was being used during all of this referred to one bag being inside the other, which was also confirmed through crime scene photos. So, getting rid of wipes, trash at the scene, bagging inside a bag, things like that. There was also a lot of discussion about a large trash bag that was filled with cleaning wipes, or wipes in general, that showed a lot of dark stains, stains similar to dried blood. Throughout all of this testimony too, David remained seated with his chin resting on his hand, just watching it all unfold from the defense table. Again, pretty emotionless in all of it. When asked whether she knew when the trash bag was placed there, she said that she did not.

• 51:56Speaker 00

  Then, as the day wrapped up, the courtroom staff briefly checked everybody's laptops before the judge stepped in and then stopped the process, and court concluded for the day. So then, Thursday begins. On Thursday, the judge opened court with sharing the frustration that information had been shared publicly too early, which goes back to Jess. They called her, the judge, I think I already mentioned, called her in front of the court, to which Jess apologized profusely and said, you know, "We would never want to distract from anything. It was a human error. It was a mistake. It was, you know, a mistake, yes, on our part, we own it, but like, there was never any ill intent behind it." Then, there was some more tension that happened after all of that was put to bed.

• 52:38Speaker 00

  The prosecutor, Beth Silverman, raised concerns about a woman in the gallery allegedly making negative comments toward her, and also argued that private investigator Steve Fisher, who also happens to be a grand jury witness, should be excluded from the prelim hearing after speaking with Celeste's family attorney, Patrick, in the lobby, saying, "This is a conflict. It's gonna, you know, make things messy." And it was just kind of high tensions within the courtroom. Celeste's family attorney said that he initiated the brief 15-second conversation, and after the discussion on the record ended, the prosecutor and Celeste's family attorney appeared to have a very tense exchange with one another in the courtroom.

• 53:19Speaker 00

  The prosecutor even was overheard saying, "Push me, and you'll see how far that goes. I'll pull your badge." So, lots of tension Thursday morning. At that point, the P.I., Steve, voluntarily left the courtroom and then later appeared to have a heated exchange with the prosecutor. So, defense attorney Blair Burke continued questioning LAPD criminalist Lauren Wallace, focusing on evidence that was not collected or tested properly. And the focus here was really to try to put into question the integrity of the investigation, not the evidence that they had, but the collection of it, why things weren't collected, why things weren't tested, to hopefully start to, again, like poke some holes within that.

• 54:04Speaker 00

  Because at this point, that's really their best shot at protecting their client, David. So she testified that the orange and black chainsaw and pink handheld chainsaw were not swabbed for touch DNA because the spray testing was negative. She also said that the third electric saw that was found in a storage closet was not collected because investigators determined that it had no forensic value. She also testified that investigators documented the fake blood containers and the trays that had been found in the garage, but that those all tested negative, explaining that she didn't document that box burn cage either because she never saw it and she wasn't assigned to search the second floor, which that's where it was ultimately photographed because

• 54:47Speaker 00

  it was sitting behind the piano. On redirect, prosecutors clarified that investigators do not collect every item at the scene, only evidence that is considered to have forensic value, and even collected items are not automatically tested. The prosecution then called their next witness to the stand, LAPD trace analyst criminologist Lisa. She testified that she has 26 years with LAPD, including 22 years in trace analysis, examining evidence like hairs, fibers, and microscopic materials. Her testimony focused on that blue inflatable pool and also on Celeste's clothing.

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• 56:02Speaker 00

  Upfront payment of $45 for three-month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate for three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com. She discussed her examination of Celeste's clothing. As she spoke, and as she spoke, graphic photographs of the clothing and of Celeste's remains were shown to the courtroom once again. She described the garments as being in poor condition with a strong odor, heavy soiling, significant deterioration, and also covered in dirt and insects. The items included Skechers socks, a Victoria's Secret undergarment, a heavily soiled Forever 21 tube top that may have originally been yellow, black leggings that appeared to have

• 56:43Speaker 00

  been cut in half, and the clothing also was described as wet and badly deteriorated. While on the stand, she continued to go into depth about the condition of the clothing, stating that it was so heavily soiled and deteriorated that she couldn't even complete some of the testing that she had been asked to perform. While examining the black leggings, she recovered dark and medium blue plastic fragments that appeared similar to those that had been submitted by the LAPD Medical Examiner's Office, also in line with the fragments from the inflatable pool. She also collected hairs, fibers, trace material, and two yellowish stains from a separate black fragment.

• 57:25Speaker 00

  But she said that, again, that the condition of the clothing prevented any further analysis. When it came to discussing her findings of the inflatable pool, she stated that she recovered hair, fibers, plant material, and foam-like fragments from the pool, and she identified four damaged areas, explaining that the damage was straight cuts and also irregular scalloped cuts, which if you're familiar at all with a chainsaw blade, you know that they usually are scalloped, they're not a straight edge. But she said that some cuts went completely through the material. And jurors were shown photos where several fragments appeared to fit into missing sections too, almost like it was puzzle pieces from the pool and that they were all now fitting together.

• 58:08Speaker 00

  She stated that additional fragments shared similar characteristics with the pool material, but that it could not be confirmed as exact matches because portions were missing. Before recess, Lisa also confirmed that the fragments were received in a sealed evidence bag, and she showed the court a sealed envelope containing a small blue fragment and hair. During cross-examination after recess, the defense emphasized that the fragment comparisons were only based on physical characteristics. They also pushed back on the evidence and debris that was found in the pool. Another criminalist, or not another, the previous criminalist, sorry, getting all my people confused a little bit, she explained that some of the debris naturally fell onto

• 58:49Speaker 00

  the examination paper during her inspection, while other material was manually collected. The defense also challenged the footprint testimony that was put into play. She explained that investigators were unable to recover the possible footwear impressions because of the pool's thick and uneven surfaces, it prevented a successful lift off of it because the material is, you know, wavy, it's not taut, and it was difficult to get a successful lift.

• 59:20Speaker 00

  The prosecution's next witness was LAPD Detective William Roker, and he's a robbery homicide investigator who specializes in cell records and also serves on an FBI violent crime task force. So, he previously worked in Verizon Wireless's law enforcement division, and he testified that he was asked by Lead Detective Josh to analyze cellphone data that was tied to David's phone and to his Tesla IMSI, which is the International Mobile Subscriber Identity. So, using cell records and the Tesla data, he testified that David's phone and Tesla repeatedly traveled together between his home and a remote area off State Route 154 in Santa Barbara County.

• 1:00:04Speaker 00

  And again, that is where they later recovered the evidence of Celeste's passport card. He also testified that on April 24th, a call from David to Celeste went straight to voicemail, and this call took place while he was driving north toward Santa Barbara. And that is the day after he allegedly murdered her, so trying to create the footwork for his alibi. The detective also said that the cellphone and Tesla data consistently matched, and the court was shown maps of the route. They were shown a Tesla charging station and also that location where her passport card was later found. Now, they took a recess, and before court resumed again,

• 1:00:46Speaker 00

  David was seen smiling and chatting with his defense attorneys, appearing kind of relaxed, as though if what they're doing in poking holes in all of this evidence was working. The detective concluded his testimony stating that surveillance footage, license plate reader data, and Tesla records showed that David's Tesla was not driven by anybody between July 29th and September 5th, from the Tesla drop date and when it was recovered at the tow yard. During cross-exam, he acknowledged that his analysis relied on cellphone tower data and not Tesla data, or I'm sorry, that it relied on cellphone tower data and Tesla data, but not GPS. And he said that he could only estimate a device's general location

• 1:01:31Speaker 00

  and could not identify who was driving the Tesla, exactly the pinpoint location, and that the passport recovery coordinates that he used were slightly different, but essentially the same as those that were presented by the CHP officer who first discovered the passport card. So, again, trying to just really rip apart credibility, not even credibility, but the investigation process, and what was logged, what wasn't logged, any oversights, to say that, not that there's any issue, obviously, with like chain of custody, there's not, but like to still poke holes in the integrity of the processing of this investigation. Then the prosecution called LAPD DNA criminalist Samantha.

• 1:02:15Speaker 00

  She testified that DNA recovered from the Tesla, also a garage rubber mat, rowing machine, charger, green tarp, and stained hand wipes all matched Celeste, with statistical probabilities ranging from 20 quadrillion to 1 septillion times more likely than an unrelated person. So, Celeste's DNA. She also testified that DNA from a black trash bag included David, but excluded Celeste. On cross-exam, the defense established that Samantha was the technical reviewer and not the primary analyst. She agreed that the DNA testing cannot determine how, when, or by whom DNA was deposited, and whether it came from blood or skin cells,

• 1:02:59Speaker 00

  or whether it resulted from direct or secondary transfer, but so she could only say how, she could not say how Celeste's DNA ended up on any of those items that were tested, but could confirm that her DNA was in fact on those items. So, the argument there is, okay, her DNA was on the rowing machine? She was at the house and she worked out. Her DNA was on the charger? She plugged in the Tesla to charge one time, things like that. So, saying that, you know, they can't say whether or not it came from blood or skin cells, and they can't say how or when, and so again, just really trying to poke holes in this. The final witness of the day was LA County ME Deputy Medical Examiner, Dr. Grant Ho.

• 1:03:40Speaker 00

  He testified that he has performed about 2,500 autopsies, including Celeste's. He testified that Celeste's identity was confirmed through dental records. She was 5'2" tall and weighed 71 pounds at the time, and he described her remains as very badly decomposed, which significantly limited the examination that was able to be performed. He also testified that he observed trauma consistent with dismemberment on the extremities of her body. And he also noted that Celeste was wearing braces when her remains were examined. So, Thursday was relatively succinct and tight. It was more on the DNA recovered,

• 1:04:21Speaker 00

  the ME's testimony regarding Celeste, and then everything moved into Friday. Dr. Grant Ho, the Deputy Medical Examiner, resumed his testimony, and he told the courtroom that the odor from Celeste's body was so strong that it could be smelled from the hallway outside the autopsy room. But again, kind of revisiting what I talked about at the beginning of this episode, because she was left to just decompose and decay for months, so disregarded. Because of the severe decomposition, he said that he could only estimate that she had been dead for at least several weeks, adding that the death date of April 23rd or April 24th

• 1:05:04Speaker 00

  was potentially consistent with her condition. He also testified that Celeste's remains showed multiple dismemberment sites on both her arms and her legs, with clean, smooth cuts extending all the way through bone, not just through soft tissue. So, with an incredible amount of force. He also said tiny blue, blue plastic fragments were embedded in some of the cut surfaces, and he testified that the injuries were potentially consistent with the use of a power saw or a chainsaw, though he could not determine whether the dismemberment occurred before or after her death, which, God, I only hope that it occurred after death, and I believe it was post-mortem. I truly believe that, not just because I feel like

• 1:05:48Speaker 00

  I kind of have to believe that in my soul, but I do believe that he murdered her immediately upon her arrival that evening, and then I believe that he spent the next few days concocting his plan of his cover up, the concealment, ordering the supplies, all the tools, making the drives, and kind of strategizing, and for him, probably trying to problem solve and figure out what to do next. He also noted that Celeste's left ring finger and pinky fingers had been amputated. They identified her through the shush tattoo that was on her right index finger, and confirmed that the cut surfaces on the missing fingers were consistent with a sharp instrument. And again, it's my belief, and I could totally be wrong.

• 1:06:31Speaker 00

  I don't believe that he accidentally cut those fingers during the dismemberment. I believe they were intentionally amputated because they had identifying markers that would have tied her to David. And so, and he didn't want to get caught. He thought he wouldn't get caught. Throughout all of this testimony, and throughout all of the images that were shown in the courtroom, David just continued watching without any visible reaction. Dr. Ho also testified that Celeste suffered those two life-threatening stab wounds, one that penetrated her chest and another that entered her abdomen, passing through the diaphragm and then into the liver. And those are the two wounds that are said to have caused her death.

• 1:07:13Speaker 00

  He said that both injuries could have caused fatal bleeding within minutes, though the exact timeframe, it could not be determined because of the condition of the remains. And here's something where I want to do a quick callback to the prosecutor's brief from back in April. I found it very, very interesting back then, and even more so now, that they of course have the special circumstance lying in wait charge, meaning he called the Uber, he lured her there, it was premeditated, it was planned. But in the brief, they use very specific language when they say that he stood by and watched her bleed out without calling for help or intervening. Meaning, to put such a specific note in there,

• 1:07:56Speaker 00

  an allegation in there, there must be additional proof showing that he watched this happen, that he, because according to the ME, they, it could have caused fatal bleeding within minutes, but undetermined, let's only hope that it was a very quick death. But they're alleging he stood by and watched. They would need to have proof of that with, to allege that he just stood by and didn't, you know, flee the scene, even though it was at his house and all that. And I know I keep saying this, and I hate when people do this, so I, I truly sincerely apologize. There is something I'm working on, like I said, behind the scenes, where I've talked with a lot of experts on this case and in the industry as well.

• 1:08:38Speaker 00

  Where I believe I know the explanation for why that language was included. I can't share all of those details yet. I promise I will be able to soon, but there, there's so much more below, below the line in all of this. Finally, prosecutors also asked whether the, uh, finding those blue plastic fragments embedded in the bone would be consistent with a body being placed in a blue inflatable pool while being dismembered with a chainsaw. Because if you remember, the theory is he dismembered her inside that pool so that the blood would collect. There wouldn't be spillage. It wouldn't seep into the porous brick flooring of his garage. He'd collect it, dispose of it, and again, get away with all of this.

• 1:09:19Speaker 00

  Over the defense's objection to that, Dr. Ho responded that such a scenario was possibly consistent. He also clarified that while he observed those orthodontic wires bonded to her teeth, the braces, he repeatedly emphasized, but I'm not a dentist. After a short break, he also then testified that the manner of death was homicide and that the cause of death was multiple penetrating sharp force injuries. He said that the conclusion was based on injuries, the dismemberment and the concealment of Celeste's body, and also the lack of any other reasonable explanation. Tox testing performed on liver tissue, because no blood remained, detected only trace alcohol and a benzo.

• 1:10:02Speaker 00

  But he also testified that neither one of those contributed to her death and the methamphetamine results were inconclusive. This becomes important later, and I'll explain why in just a bit. During cross-examination, the defense attorney focused on the limitations of the autopsy because of the state of her remains. He testified that he finalized his report in December 2025 after waiting for the tox results, and then confirmed he could only estimate that Celeste had been dead for at least weeks and acknowledged that advanced decomp affected both the autopsy findings and potentially the tox results. He also agreed that he could not determine the exact timing of the fatal wounds,

• 1:10:43Speaker 00

  which, which wound came first between the two, whether or not there had been a struggle, or whether the wounds occurred before or after dismemberment. The defense also questioned whether the ME alone could rule out the possibility that Celeste inflicted the wounds herself, saying, couldn't she have done this? You know, basically, and I'm going to paraphrase here, if she were a troubled girl grasping to keep this man in her life and was highly emotional and suggesting this, not outright alleging this, but couldn't she have grabbed the knife and done this to herself? Which like, again, I get it that it's the defense's job, but how do you even

• 1:11:24Speaker 00

  question that with any sort of, I don't know, if you're, if you have a heart? I just can't imagine it. He pushed back, the ME pushed back, explaining that he could not determine who was holding the weapon, though he noted that self-inflicted sharp force injuries often include hesitation marks. And ultimately, he said that he could not determine the exact circumstances surrounding the fatal injuries from the medical evidence alone. There was also discussion of whether one injury could represent a possible gunshot wound, but he testified that it was also consistent with sharp force injury. So here's where I believe the defense is going to go with this, if and when it goes to trial.

• 1:12:05Speaker 00

  And I believe it will, and maybe at the time of this release, there's already been a ruling from the judge.

• 1:12:12Speaker 00

  I think the defense's strategy, based on all of the evidence.

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• 1:12:53Speaker 00

  Upfront payment of $45 for three-month plan. $15 per month equivalent required. New customer offer first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com. Is going to be that Celeste, that this, this wasn't a murder, that she did die, that it was either self-inflicted or possibly accidental. I think they're going to either argue that it was self-inflicted based on the knife wounds, or even more than that, here's what I think they may say. Because the tox report was inconclusive and they couldn't really test things because of how awful the state of her remains were, I believe that they may try to cast doubt, saying that she overdosed, that she was taking drugs, that maybe there was a mixture of a cocktail of drugs, that something happened.

• 1:13:38Speaker 00

  And that David, because he did have a lot to lose, which they've already illustrated and outlined, he had a lot of money on the line, he had his celebrity on the line, that he panicked. And that he didn't want to go to jail for the underage relationship or for her accidental or self-inflicted death. But if they go with the overdose theory, it's going to be accidental. And so he panicked and decided, you know, he hid her body at first, not knowing what to do. Then he decided to dismember her and dispose of her. And they may even say, he had such a hard time with this decision. That's why it took him months to dispose of her and why he kept her in his car for so long because he was so emotional about it. I think they could make a lot of different arguments.

• 1:14:22Speaker 00

  And with that too, so I think they're going to draw onto the tox report.

• 1:14:27Speaker 00

  And the reason I think this as well is because

• 1:14:32Speaker 00

  it's unfortunate. But I have covered so many cases in which the sentencing for dismemberment and disposal of a body is so much more lenient than a murder sentence. He could, I've seen people serve as little as 18 months for this. Because it's technically, you know, a technicality. They don't get hit on the murder charge, but the dismemberment or disposal charge, 18 months I've seen. Some even less than that. So I think they're going to try to throw a hail mary and that this would be what they try to present, that he was not involved in the death itself. He just panicked. He tried to cover it up. He was scared. He didn't know what to do.

• 1:15:15Speaker 00

  And that they're going to put the blame on Celeste. That's what I truly think. And you know what? I think that in order to explain away the two sharp force injuries, what they may say is, at first, he didn't know how to get rid of the body. He wasn't planning to order the chainsaws. So he tried to use a knife at first and that didn't work, and that that's when he ordered the chainsaws. I don't know. I could totally be wrong, and maybe that's like not going to work or have a, you know, a shot in hell at working. But I think that it's very possible. Because if they're trying to just throw whatever they can to the wall and make it stick,

• 1:15:53Speaker 00

  I think that they, they don't really have much better of a potential defense strategy, in my opinion. But then again, I'm not a lawyer, so maybe they have an incredible one that my brain just isn't going to. So the next witness was Detective Farrell of the LAPD Robbery Homicide Division. He testified about evidence that was recovered from David's iPhone and iCloud account. Investigators identified the device as belonging to David based on personal information that was found on the device, including his ID, passport, selfies, banking information, and other documents. The detective also testified that the phone contained extensive evidence documenting David, David's relationship with Celeste,

• 1:16:35Speaker 00

  including photos of the two of them together, images showing a ring, photos of Celeste with red hair, FaceTime screenshots, and also photos of a tattoo reading David on a female hand wearing that same ring that was in earlier photos, which again, is the finger I believe he amputated. He also testified that the phone contained several sexually explicit images and videos, which prosecutors identified as CSAM material. They say that this documented a sexual relationship between David and Celeste. The images were not shown in court, obviously, but they were described by the detective after being reviewed by LAPD's Cyber Crimes Unit.

• 1:17:18Speaker 00

  During this graphic testimony, Celeste's parents had to leave the courtroom. Her mother became visibly emotional as she exited, and the prosecutor apologized to the family as they left. The detective also testified that investigators recovered messages between David and Celeste from August 2022 through April 2025. That means that these messages began when Celeste was only 11 years old. 11 years old, 6th grade. I mean,

• 1:17:51Speaker 00

  It's unthinkable. Messages from late 2023 then showed discussings about their relationship, plans for them to meet, to travel, have a future together, pregnancy concerns, and also the Plan B pill. Then the messages in January of 2024 referenced a pregnancy termination, which this, I've done the rough math based on the birthdays and all of that. This means that she would have been 13 or 14 years old when she, well, 13 when she most likely got pregnant, 14 potentially when she had the termination, while he was 18 or 19. It's so sick. Investigators also recovered details about what they called,

• 1:18:37Speaker 00

  quote, "Operation Awesome", which that's the name that David and Celeste used for plans for her to leave home and go live with him. And when I say what they called, I meant David and Celeste called it "Operation Awesome", not the investigators. But it was basically their plan for her to leave home, live with him, and a planned Las Vegas trip where they had booked a room at the Trump Hotel. Messages also referenced, again, that call back to the bodyguard, Sheldon, who had been hired by David, who drove the two of them around. And throughout the testimony, David just still sat there, pretty much emotionless, mostly expressionless, and occasionally shifting in his seat, but showing very little visible reaction,

• 1:19:21Speaker 00

  including when Celeste's own mother left the courtroom visibly upset, just no reaction. When the hearing, the hearing went on a quick recess, but when it resumed, the detective read text messages between David and Celeste, which prosecutors say document, which, sorry, which prosecutors say documented their sexual relationship. The messages included discussions about a future together, including marriage, having two children, and possibly adopting even more. They also contained repeated conversations about Celeste's periods, her pregnancy fears, and Plan B. According to the messages, and I find this so sick and predatory, David told Celeste that he tracked her cycle

• 1:20:05Speaker 00

  and that he intentionally had sex with her when he believed she was not ovulating. What a sick-ass pervert. During the reading of these explicit messages, the prosecutor repeatedly clarified Celeste's age, really just trying to drive home. She was underage. She was a child. She could not have consented to this. She was a minor. The messages showed that much of the sexual relationship occurred while Celeste was 13 years old and David was 19 years old, and that it continued through her 14th birthday. David also wrote that he didn't want anyone to know about their sexual relationship until they were married. In fact, in one exchange, Celeste asked if David's mother knew that they had been intimate, and he responded that she thought that the first thing

• 1:20:50Speaker 00

  that they would do when they saw each other was have sex. And I already talked about how I do think that his mom knew about this relationship, the underage plane ticket. They met her when she traveled to Texas. And look, I get it, a lot of 13 and 14-year-olds look older these days because of social media. The Kardashians, let's just call it what it is. They dress older, they dress more maturely, they wear more makeup. Celeste did not look that, okay? In the photos we've all seen, there's no mistaking her for a child. So I don't believe there is a world in which she travels to Texas and meets the family and they say, "Oh yeah, she's an 18-year-old"? No way in hell, which in my opinion,

• 1:21:34Speaker 00

  makes his mother just as responsible and just as guilty for everything that has transpired. The messages also included discussions about Celeste's pregnancy termination, with Celeste expressing regret in August of 2024, saying she felt, quote, "She had killed her baby for David." Other messages showed Celeste telling David that the sex hurt her, while David responded, "He didn't know that it hurt her, because she never said 'ow', but Celeste continued telling him that she was hurt." In another exchange from November 2024, Celeste wrote that she had been having sex with David for almost a year straight. The messages also showed conflict between the two of them,

• 1:22:19Speaker 00

  with David referencing previous breakups, because apparently they were on and off a little bit. And again, I say breakups, but it's like, there wasn't consent to be in this relationship. She's a minor. But in these messages, he claimed that Celeste initiated kissing and sex, writing that he just, quote, "followed her lead." So trying to flip it back onto her, being like, "Well, yeah, we were broken up, but then you started kissing me, so I don't know, I just followed your lead. I just did what you wanted", making her the one to feel guilty and responsible, gaslighting her, manipulating her, preying on her. While these messages were being read in court, David appeared distracted, spent much of the time kind of hunched over his table, just writing on a yellow notepad,

• 1:23:04Speaker 00

  occasionally looking up at the screen before returning to his notes. But obviously, like, there is no mistaking at least that charge, right? The statutory charge, that's clear as day. While they're trying to poke holes in the murder allegations and the way the evidence was processed and collected, maybe there's hope for the defense there. I sure hope not, but maybe. And maybe it's enough to cast doubt. Maybe if they do pull the strategy of saying that this was an accidental death and he just panicked and covered it up, maybe there's one juror who will hold out and it will have cast enough doubt. I don't know. But to me, it's pretty clear what happened here.

• 1:23:49Speaker 00

  David, and I'm just gonna say, my opinion only, make your own decisions, do your own research. My opinion is that David, as an adult person, adult man, was a predator. He started preying on Celeste when she was just 11 years old, grooming her, seducing her, trying to have these secret sexual relations with her, manipulating her the entire time, telling her whatever she wanted to hear to go along with it. Then, as she got older, and as she went through a lot of trials and tribulations herself and a termination that she on record regretted, I think she started questioning things, being like, "This isn't what I want for my life."

• 1:24:33Speaker 00

  We saw that text message where she said, point blank, "I want more for my life." She started to mature and grow up, because she was only 11 years old when this all began. He brainwashed her in a sense. And as she got older, she finally started seeing the light and realizing this was not what she thought it was. So then, she threatens to expose the relationship, to tell everyone what happened. But David, oh no, you are under my thumb. You can't do that. You can't go against me. You are my property. You belong to me. I control you. I control everything you do, every decision you make. So he played the part of loving partner, boyfriend, whatever you want to call it, called her an Uber to her house in Lake Elsinore,

• 1:25:18Speaker 00

  said, "I'm gonna call you a car, come over, let's talk, let's hang out, you know, love you, miss you. We'll see what those text messages actually included once this gets to trial. Maybe we'll see it a little earlier, I don't know. We still have, you know, a little bit to go." And then she comes over while he's lying in wait, and he kills her. That's what I believe happened, because he didn't want to risk losing his fame, his celebrity, his status within the music industry, the millions and millions of dollars that were potentially at stake. So he had to neutralize the problem. And then, it's my belief entirely, and I don't know if I have vocalized this before, but I'm gonna share my theory here. I think that the reason he dumped the Tesla

• 1:26:03Speaker 00

  so close to his house before he went on tour is because I think when he got back from tour, he planned to retrieve the car. And then he was going to use that boxed incinerator that was still at his house and get rid of her remains once and for all. That's what I believe. Is that the truth? I don't know. And we'll see what the prosecution presents at the trial, when or, and if that happens. So there is still another day of testimony that is supposed to happen. I will give you that update of everything that transpires on Monday in this week's headline highlights. That episode releases on Thursday. So if you're not following this podcast yet, make sure that you do so, so that you don't miss that. And let's just hope that the judge makes the right call here

• 1:26:46Speaker 00

  and this goes to trial and David is held accountable. All right, thank you so much for tuning into another episode. I will be back with you first thing tomorrow with an all-new deep dive into a case. Nothing is changing on the release calendar this week. This is just purely a bonus episode. So I will be back with you Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Thank you so much for listening, and until the next one, be nice, don't kill people, and don't prey on innocent children. All right, bye.

• 1:27:57Speaker 07

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