L.A. County medical examiner workers probed after leaks in D4vd murder case
LOS ANGELES — More than a dozen employees at the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Department, including investigators and office staff members, have been ordered to answer questions about whether they viewed law enforcement investigation files without specific authorization. The orders were issued after some media reports included graphic details of the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old girl whom the singer D4vd is accused of killing, before the autopsy file was officially made public.
Read more Democratic hopes to win back the Senate hang by a thread as Graham Platner weighs dropping out
Celeste’s case itself may have led to the inquiry by the county Human Resources Department, which began notifying the employees in recent days and weeks that they were required to appear for recorded interviews, several sources familiar with the probe told NBC Los Angeles’ NBC4 Investigates.
The Medical Examiner’s Department, commonly known as the coroner, said Monday it does not comment on pending investigations.
The discovery of Celeste’s remains in September in an abandoned Tesla sedan registered to D4vd drew intense public attention, leading Los Angeles police robbery-homicide detectives to ask that the medical examiner’s records be withheld from public view until the investigation was complete.
The medical examiner initially denied the police request, citing “insufficient jurisdiction” to withhold case information from the public until the police department obtained a court order in November to put the case file under lockdown.
The union that represents investigators at the medical examiner’s office, the Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association, said it could not comment on ongoing personnel investigations but confirmed some employees had received notifications about the inquiry from the county.
“We expect the County to conduct any investigation professionally, fairly, and without prejudice,” the union said by email Monday. “We encourage others to allow the process to run its course before making conclusions.”
Read more U.S. star Folarin Balogun went from the center of controversy to a nonfactor
SEIU 721, the union that represents other members of the medical examiner’s administrative staff, said it could not comment on the nature of the inquiry.
“However, we can say — unequivocally — that our union remains firmly committed to safeguarding the privacy of all victims. Patient privacy is an issue we take seriously, especially since so many of our union members are in the healthcare field and working with patients either directly or indirectly,” it said in a statement.
D4vd, whose legal name is David A. Burke, was arrested in April on suspicion of murdering Celeste at his rental home in the Hollywood Hills, according to court documents.
He was charged with murder with the special circumstance allegations of lying in wait, murder for financial gain and murdering a witness. Prosecutors also alleged he personally used a sharp instrument to carry out the killing.
Burke has pleaded not guilty, and his defense attorneys said in a statement this year that they will “vigorously defend David’s innocence.”
The Human Resources Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An official said the county’s personnel investigations are generally kept confidential until they are concluded.
Read more China releases first photo of an asteroid some consider Earth’s ‘quasi moon’
