The high-profile Celeste Rivas Hernandez murder case has taken a shocking turn as main suspect, D4vd has been charfed with first-degree murder amid investigation.
As reported by various outlets on Monday night, the rapper - who was arrested earlier this week has been charged teenager's murder - whose decomposed body was found in D4vd's tesla in September last year.
The prosecutors in Celeste Rivas murder investigation claimed that she was killed after visiting D4vd's Hollywood Hills home in April 2025 and was disappeared since then.
According to the officials, the charges on D4vd - whose real name is David Anthony Burke, are serious to the point where he could be eligible for the death penalty.
Beside first degree murder, D4vd is also facing allegations involving a minor and mutilation of a body.
Is death penalty legal in California?
As D4vd has been charged with Celeste's murder after months-long investigation, internet is flooded with queries whether death penalty is legal in Calif.
Per the law in the state, the death penalty is legal in California, however, it is currently inactive due to a gubernatorial moratorium.
According to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, in 1977, the California Legislature reinstated the death penalty in the state for first-degree murder.
As per a 1978 voting guide from the California Secretary of State, , voters approved proposition 7 in November 1978, which expanded circumstances under which capital punishment can be implemented.
California currently operates under 1978 version of the law and there are over 580 condemned inmates as of late 2025, making it the largest death row in the country.
Since the state operates under a "moratorium" status, no executions have taken place since 2006.
