Podcast Summary

Podcast: Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield
Episode: Grand Jury Bombshell in the D4vd Case: Celeste’s Death Now Investigated as Murder
Date: November 27, 2025
Host: Ashleigh Banfield
Guest: Harvey Levin (TMZ)

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into a dramatic development in the D4vd (David) and Celeste case—the convening of a Los Angeles County grand jury to investigate Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s death, which is now officially considered a murder. Ashleigh Banfield unpacks this evolving story, discusses unique legal maneuvers, conflicting accounts from authorities, the state of evidence, and features TMZ’s Harvey Levin for inside perspective. The episode captures the tension between transparency and confidentiality in major criminal investigations and hints that a resolution may be close.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Grand Jury Development in Celeste’s Case

[01:36]

• Ashleigh Banfield reports that the L.A. Times broke the story about a grand jury investigating Celeste's death, now officially termed a murder.

• LAPD’s court filings acknowledge an “investigation into murder.”

  "The investigation into the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez is in fact a murder investigation."
  — Ashleigh Banfield [02:59]

• The grand jury is “investigative”—it can subpoena witnesses and evidence, and recommend charges but cannot indict directly.

• The DA’s office refuses to comment, citing policy and state law.

2. Secrecy Around the Autopsy

[02:59 – 05:53]

• LAPD obtained a court order to bar the medical examiner from making Celeste’s autopsy findings public.

• Court documents cite that releasing details could "endanger the lives of witnesses and/or compromise the investigation."

• There’s confusion and skepticism around the move.

• Conflicting stories swirl about the condition of Celeste’s remains: reports suggest her body was partially frozen, an account LAPD disputes, but TMZ sources stand by.

  "The LAPD's documents also claim that disclosing death details could...endanger the lives of witnesses and/or compromise the investigation."
  — Ashleigh Banfield [03:53]

3. Inside Perspective with Harvey Levin (TMZ)

[05:53 – 15:48]

• Grand Jury’s Purpose:
  Harvey explains that an investigative grand jury’s purpose is to compel reluctant witnesses and collect documents, especially where people “clam up” in ongoing cases.

  "When police come a calling, a lot of times people clam up...What an investigative grand jury can do is say, we're going to subpoena you...you've got to answer our questions."
  — Harvey Levin [06:05]

• LAPD Versus Medical Examiner:

  • Longstanding tension between LAPD and L.A. County’s medical examiner is highlighted.
  • Harvey recounts a similar frustration from Matthew Perry’s death investigation—media learned information before the police.
  • Initial judicial attempts to seal autopsy records failed; only the second attempt succeeded. The ME's office is “angry” and stresses transparency.
  • Harvey notes:

    "I have never in my life seen the Emmy come out with a press release...that's the last time I heard from a coroner. And now they're coming out...saying that we believe in transparency like the LAPD doesn't."
    — Harvey Levin [08:38]

• State of the Evidence:

  • Waterlogged fingers impeded fingerprinting; confusion persists about whether Celeste’s body was frozen.
  • Harvey:

    "The LAPD is disputing what we said about the body being partially frozen...our sources connected to the medical examiner say that it was partially frozen when found."
    — Harvey Levin [10:24]

  • The LAPD is strongly focused on a mysterious trip David took to Santa Barbara, which may be central to their theories about where the body was dismembered or where Celeste may have died.

• Timeline Gaps and Speculation:

  • There are crucial missing months between Celeste’s alleged time of death and the discovery of her remains.
  • Harvey’s summary of the LAPD’s logic:

    "Where was this body for four months? And I can't answer that, and I'm perplexed by it. And the only thing I've been told is don't necessarily use logic here."
    — Harvey Levin [12:44]

4. Officially “Murder”—Not Just “Homicide”

[12:52 – 13:41]

• Ashleigh and Harvey discuss that the court petition now explicitly uses the word “murder" (not just "homicide"), marking a shift.

• Harvey notes internally it's been considered a homicide for weeks, and David is viewed as a suspect.

  "I think murder is a long way from homicide...that can be an accident...but murder is intentional. And that one surprised me."
  — Ashleigh Banfield [13:57]

  "There's foul play here. I mean, actually, the body was cut up...The LAPD has always believed this was foul play."
  — Harvey Levin [14:06]

5. Ongoing Transparency Battle

[14:28 – 15:48]

• Speculation about why the LAPD insists on sealing autopsy records—possibly to protect witnesses or the investigation’s integrity.
• Harvey questions whether the ME was included in LAPD’s sealing efforts.
• This secrecy, Harvey suggests, reflects a deepening rift and high stakes in the investigation.

Memorable Quotes and Moments

• Ashleigh Banfield, on the shift to a murder investigation:

  “The investigation into the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez is in fact a murder investigation. And how do we know that exactly? … The LAPD's petition for that order cites, and I quote, an investigation into murder.” [02:59]

• Harvey Levin, on the grand jury’s role:

  "These investigative grand juries are often used in cases where the LAPD or other police departments are having trouble getting information from witnesses." [06:32]

• Harvey Levin, on LAPD-ME tension:

  “Now they're coming out with a press release saying that we believe in transparency like the LAPD doesn't. And I just haven't seen that.” [09:36]

• Harvey Levin, on evidence handling:

  "Our sources connected to the medical examiner say that it was partially frozen when found." [10:24]

• Ashleigh Banfield, on the meaning of “murder”:

  "Murder is a long way from homicide... homicide can be an accident... but murder is intentional." [13:57]

Notable Timestamps

• [01:36] — Ashleigh opens with the big bombshell: grand jury, murder investigation, autopsy secrecy.
• [05:53] — Interview with Harvey Levin starts.
• [06:32] — Harvey explains the function of an investigative grand jury.
• [08:38] — Harvey recounts historical LAPD-ME tension and rare ME press release.
• [10:24] — Discussion about the “partially frozen” state of Celeste’s remains.
• [12:44] — Harvey shares his perplexity about months-long missing timeline.
• [13:57] — Sharp distinction between “homicide” and “murder.”
• [15:48] — Episode winds down: more questions than answers, investigation heating up.

Conclusion

The Celeste Rivas Hernandez case is intensifying, with the official use of “murder” shifting the investigation’s tone. Legal maneuvers have heightened secrecy and brought institutional conflict to the forefront. Ashleigh Banfield and Harvey Levin's conversation highlights ongoing mysteries, the complexity of evidence handling, and the potential for dramatic developments soon. Listeners are left with a sense of real-time urgency as the investigation barrels forward—hinting that more revelations, and perhaps arrests, are imminent.