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D4vd and Celeste Rivas Hernandez first met in 2022, claim prosecutors. Texts prove the relationship turned sexual in 2023, when D4vd was 18 and Celeste was freshly 13.
As D4vd moves through the justice system, online sleuths who have spent months obsessing over his relationship with murder victim Celeste Rivas Hernandez are finally getting answers to some of their biggest questions. Last week, D4vd was in court. During that hearing, prosecutors shared a significant amount of information about D4vd’s alleged predatory relationship with Celeste, whose body was found inside the front trunk of D4vd’s Tesla just one day after what would have been her 15th birthday. One major question has been mostly answered — we now know how D4vd met Celeste and when the relationship escalated.
How Did D4vd Meet Celeste Rivas Hernandez?
While some details of their meeting remain unclear, it is largely believed that D4vd first encountered Celeste Rivas Hernandez online. According to Celeste’s former teacher at Lakeland Village School in Lake Elsinore, the two first connected on social media. TMZ spoke with the teacher months ago. He said the teen had a boyfriend during the year he taught her. Amateur sleuths theorize that D4vd may have begun targeting Celeste after meeting her in a Fortnite match. Records indicate Celeste was a member of D4vd’s official Discord server as early as 2022, with other users referring to her as his girlfriend at the time.
D4vd and Celeste may have met in 2022, but court documents make it clear that the relationship did not turn sexual until 2023, about two months after Celeste turned 13. D4vd was already 18 at the time. A TikTok from February 2024 shows D4vd jumping up and down about having a Valentine. Celeste later appeared on several livestreams with D4vd, though it appears the two misrepresented her age to several people. According to court documents, the teen was in possession of multiple fake IDs during her time with D4vd. Text messages and other communications between the pair make it clear that they were having regular sexual contact, even after their reported breakup in November 2024.
The Sexual Nature of the Relationship Is Also Part of the Alleged Motive for Celeste’s Slaying
Prosecutors are arguing that the illegal, sexual nature of the relationship was central to the motive behind Celeste’s death. According to court documents, Celeste had threatened to reveal the nature of their relationship to police, which would have derailed D4vd’s budding music career.
Prosecutors allege that the 21-year-old singer lured the teen to his Los Angeles home with the express intent to kill her and prevent her from exposing their relationship. He then allegedly dismembered her in his garage after ordering chainsaws online. From there, prosecutors allege, he placed her remains in the trunk of his Tesla and left them there for months.
Celeste’s remains were discovered in September 2025, but prosecutors believe she was murdered in late April 2025. April 23 was the last day anyone heard from her.
This is a developing story…