() A former senior deputy district attorney says the Los Angeles Police Department won’t need to determine the cause of death for Celeste Rivas Hernandez to prosecute her killer.

“You can still prosecute, you can certainly prosecute,” Matt Murphy told “Banfield” in a Tuesday appearance.

“But it does it does throw a wrinkle in there. If you’ve just got a decomposed torso, or depending on what’s available, what I would be asking (about) if I was them is the hyoid bone. That’s a bone in the neck that’s consistent with strangulation. That’s something that doesn’t go away with decomposition.”

Detectives taking their time to determine Celeste’ cause of death: Murphy

Hernandez’s remains were found at a Hollywood tow yard Sept. 8, decomposed in singer D4vd’s Tesla after police responded to complaints of a foul odor.

The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner announced her cause of death has been deferred. Murphy says detectives are taking their time to figure out exactly what happened.

“There’s a lot to untangle here, and it’s important to remember, he’s (D4vd) presumed innocent, right?” he said. “And we know, based on past history, there are juries in L.A. that will entertain absolutely insane defense theories. And so they’re crossing their T’s and dotting their I’s, and they’re being methodical, which is exactly what they should be doing.”

Murphy added that detectives have forensically worked up D4vd’s home from top to bottom, looking for any kind of DNA evidence or “any instruments that may have been used to dismember her (Celeste)”.

“They have to be very careful about the information they release,” he said. “But this is a murder, potentially a murder, in the modern era. And the reason I say potentially, we don’t have a cause of death yet. Now, she was dismembered; certainly didn’t do that to herself.”

D4vd’s cellphone, computer evidence will be key for investigators: Murphy

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to that they raided D4vd’s home, looking for “blood evidence” to connect to Hernandez.

Items, including a computer, were seen being taken by detectives, and they could be crucial for investigators, Murphy acknowledged.

“Some of the things that were seen coming out of that house were things like computers and tablets, and that’s exactly what they should be looking for,” he said.

“And right now, probably as we speak, there is some overworked, underpaid forensic technologist who’s going through cellphones and computers and looking for any evidence of that relationship.”

While police haven’t officially linked D4vd and the victim, they did find a leaked D4vd song that mentions Celeste multiple times. The track, which leaked on Soundcloud in December 2023, was titled “Celeste_Demo unfin.” 

D4vd has broken the lease of his Hollywood Hills home amid an investigation, according to The Daily Mail.