@meghannmcuniff: The chief of the Los Angeles Police Department today defended the length of time investigators took to build a case against singer D4vd, who was arrested last week for the April 2025 murder of a teen girl he is accused of sexually abusing. "I want to be clear about something. My duty is not to fuel speculation. It's to deliver justice, and that requires patience and discipline on everybody's part. This investigation was driven by a single purpose, to secure justice for Celeste Rivas and for those who loved her," LAPD Chief Michel Moore said during a press conference this morning (Monday, April 20). "We had to be certain that nothing we did or said would ever jeopardize this case. Ms. Rivas was a reported runaway from Riverside County. During the course of our investigation, detectives learned that she had been involved in a sexual relationship with Mr. Burke when she was a minor and he was an adult," Moore said. Celeste's family reported her missing in April 2024. Investigators beleive she was murdered in April 2025. Her remains were found in the front trunk of D4vd's Tesla on Sept. 8, 2025.Moore said detectives "faced an extraordinary, difficult and complex case." "The condition of her remains delayed the medical examiner's ability to be able to determine cause of death. The substantial amount of time that passed between her death and discovery meant that crucial evidence had degraded or disappeared, and as detectives worked to uncover the truth," Moore said. Detectives "also had to sift through and debunk a great deal of false information circulating publicly," the chief said. "These challenges were real, and they required patience, precision and an unwavering commitment to the facts, despite these obstacles and despite intense public pressure," Moore said. "Our Robbery-Homicide Division detectives remained steadfast in their duties. They recovered and analyzed a substantial amount of digital and forensic evidence. They stayed focused, disciplined and committed to uncovering the truth. Their work in close collaboration with the District Attorney's Office, has brought us to this moment today." "Why has it taken so long for an arrest?" a reporter asked Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. "I think the police chief got it right that in a situation where you don't have an eyewitness account, or we can't put point to a video that shows the killer killing someone. You have to go through the very rigorous and thorough investigation to look at all the digital and forensic evidence. You have to speak with witnesses, often who are cooperative and some who are not cooperative, in order to obtain all the information necessary to decide who did what, when, how, and what their mental state was at the time. That is what we've been doing ... between September 8, roughly, and today, when we bring these charges on April 20," Hochman said. You can watch more from Hochman here @Meghann Cuniff and here @Meghann Cuniff l, and you can watch the entire press conference on my YouTube channel and Facebook page. #law #crime #police #d4vd

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Monday 20 April 2026 19:59:47 GMT