After singer D4vd’s arrest in the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, Entertainment legal writer Andrew Dalton flagged Los Angeles medical examiner Dr. Odey Ukpo’s ire at the suppression of the teen’s autopsy report. When the report was released, Dalton took note of Ukpo’s unusually pointed comments that pushed for transparency, something Dalton, with his beat expertise, identified was a theme with Ukpo. He secured all-formats access — including portraits shot by photographer Jae C. Hong — to deliver the first in-depth profile of Ukpo since he had taken a public stance calling for more transparency in high-profile cases like the killings of Rivas Hernandez and Rob and Michele Singer Reiner. Dalton rounded the profile with outside voices, including criticism from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. The story, which moved just before a crucial hearing, was unmatched and widely used, even drawing praise from a prominent competitor. Dalton accompanied it with an evergreen sidebar on autopsy decisions.
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