Tuesday, 28 July 2026, 20:02
The preliminary hearing for David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, resumed Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles. The 21-year-old singer is accused of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose remains were found in his impounded Tesla. Prosecutors are presenting evidence to establish probable cause for trial. Burke, who was raised in Houston, Texas, before rising to fame, now faces a judge's decision on whether the case will proceed to trial. Additional details emerged on Friday, including explicit text messages and the revelation that the victim had an abortion at age 13.
On Tuesday, the first day of the hearing, LAPD Detective Joshua Byers testified that Burke ordered a body bag, chainsaws, an inflatable pool, a shovel, and a burn box online using aliases like Trayvion Davis. Most items were found in Burke's garage, and a blood stain matched Rivas Hernandez's DNA. The body bag matched one containing the victim's head and torso in the Tesla's trunk.
Prosecutors showed graphic photos of the dismembered body, causing the victim's mother to nearly faint. Burke remained nonchalant, wearing an orange jumpsuit and dark-rimmed glasses. Body camera footage from February 2024 showed Burke telling deputies he believed the teen was 18, though she was 13. He claimed they met online via Discord and Instagram.
Grisly photos of the dismembered corpse were made public Tuesday morning. The photos were taken at the Hollywood tow yard where Hernandez’s body was found. Det. Josh Byers spoke calmly about the gruesome finds as Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Silverman laid out images of Hernandez’s dismembered torso, displaying blood strewn across her remains and an image showing one of her arms cut off at the elbow. Another photo showed blue plastic fragments embedded in a knee, which prosecutors maintain are from an inflatable pool D4vd allegedly used while dismembering the body. Byers said detectives found a cadaver bag and a black plastic trash bag in the Tesla. Once the bag was opened, Byers said he saw “various limbs of a body, arms, legs that had been severed.” Byers said the victim’s legs had been sawed at the kneecap and cut into four pieces. Prosecutors also displayed images of Hernandez’s disfigured left hand, which was missing two fingers when it was found in the trunk. Specifically, the pinky and ring fingers were missing. Authorities alleged Burke was trying to erase evidence of a tattoo reading “Shhh...” on one of Celeste’s fingers. When Burke was arrested at the Chateau Marmont earlier this year, Byers said he noticed a similar tattoo in black or blue ink on one of the defendant’s fingers. He also had the name “Celeste” tattooed on a finger in red ink, according to images displayed in court by Silverman. As she displayed the images of their daughter’s body in court, Silverman turned to Hernandez’s parents in the front row. The prosecutor appeared to ask them, “Are you OK?” During a break in the case, she checked in with Hernandez’s loved ones and tried to comfort them. Hernandez’s parents are not expected to testify, Silverman said in court. It was the first time the parents had seen those images, according to the family's civil attorney Patrick Steinfeld, who later told reporters outside the courthouse, “She said, 'I want to be here to show support for Celeste.'”
Byers said Hernandez’s body was so badly decomposed that her face was “unrecognizable.” He said he remembered finding insects, maggots and flies throughout the trunk on the day the body was discovered.
Byers’s testimony also offered a glimpse into Burke’s behavior after the alleged fatal stabbing. Under a fake name, Trayvion Davis, the singer used his credit cards to purchase chain saws, a body bag and a shovel, the detective said.
Byers also testified that the body bag Burke ordered matched one that contained the head and torso of Rivas Hernandez in the trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke at a Hollywood tow yard on Sept. 8, 2025. Under the body bag, authorities found a garbage bag with the girl’s arms and legs. Burke’s lawyer, Blair Berk, pressed Byers about whether the body bag was tested to tie it to the defendant. Byers said the medical examiner at the scene told him the bag could not be taken into evidence because the body was so decomposed it could not be removed from it. The photos showed blue fragments on the body that prosecutors say were from the inflatable pool.
Byers also testified that when he and his partner arrested Burke, they noticed he had ‘Celeste’ tattooed in red on his finger. A photo of it was shown in court. A tattoo on another finger read “Shhh” and was identical to one on Rivas Hernandez’s finger.
Body camera video from February 2024 showed Burke telling sheriff’s deputies who were investigating after the then-13-year-old Rivas Hernandez was reported missing; Burke told them he had only met the girl once in person, and did not know she was a minor. “She told me she was 18,” the singer said in the video. “Everybody’s telling me she was 13.” Prosecutors allege that D4vd had already been having a sexual relationship with the girl for several months. He was 18 at the time. Burke said he met the girl as a fan online on Discord and Instagram in 2020 or 2021.
The court also heard discussion of a burn box that Burke allegedly purchased under an alias.
On Wednesday, the second day of the hearing, an executive from Interscope Records testified about the multimillion-dollar recording deal Burke had with the label. Details emerged of how much Interscope Records was paying the singer, as prosecutors sought to establish the musician had a financial motivation to kill Rivas Hernandez. This testimony reinforced the prosecution's argument that Burke killed the teen to protect his burgeoning career.
Benjamin Gregor, Burke's money manager, testified that he had heard only the first name of Celeste Rivas Hernandez before her dismembered body was found. “I knew her first name,” Gregor said. The prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman, later asked Gregor where he had heard the name Celeste. He said from Rob Morgenroth, Burke’s manager. “Did he tell you she was his girlfriend?” Silverman asked, but objections prevented an answer. The questioning swerved into who among the people around Burke knew he was in a sexual relationship with the teen. Silverman asked Gregor if he knew Burke had taken Rivas Hernandez to London with him, and to Texas to meet his family. He said he had heard about the London trip. The prosecutor asked if he had heard about Burke taking Rivas Hernandez to nightclubs, with both of them using fake IDs. Burke only recently turned 21. This drew angry objections from Burke’s attorney, Marilyn Bednarski. “Counsel is testifying!” she said. Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo, who will decide whether there is probable cause for trial, cut off the line of questioning.
Prosecutors are seeking to prove that Burke, an indie-pop singer whose music and online presence brought him a huge following, met Rivas Hernandez when she was 11 and began a sexual relationship with her when she was 13 and he was 18. They said in a court filing that she had grown jealous of his relationships with other women and threatened to expose him.
A California Highway Patrol officer testified Wednesday that a road worker in January had found Rivas Hernandez’s passport in a brushy dirt area in a rural section of Santa Barbara County, about 95 miles (150 km) northwest of Burke’s Hollywood home. The officer, Sean Buenrostro, identified himself on the stand and said the Caltrans employee who found the passport Googled the name and realized it was connected to the case. Prosecutors have said Burke made two trips to the area, once in April 2025 immediately after the killing and again about six weeks later, where data shows he was at the spot where the passport was found. As prosecutors presented a photograph of the passport, the victim's mother, Mercedes Martinez, dropped her head and wiped her eyes. She and her husband, Jesus Rivas, sat in the front row, dressed in all black, accompanied by their lawyer.
On Wednesday, Chelsea Murillo, a criminalist with the Los Angeles police department’s forensic science division, spoke about her examination of the Tesla that contained Rivas Hernandez’s remains. A layer of dust coated the vehicle’s exterior, she said, which suggested it had been outside for a long period of time. She observed insect activity in the front trunk and a strong odor resembling a decomposing body.
After court concluded on Wednesday, Patrick Steinfeld, an attorney for the Rivas Hernandez family, spoke to reporters outside. “It’s a hard thing for the family. They are very private individuals,” he said.
Prosecutors dug into the details of blood stains and other forensic evidence Wednesday in hopes of persuading a judge that singer D4vd should go to trial for the stabbing death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. On the second day of a preliminary hearing for D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, Los Angeles police criminalists described collecting samples of possible blood and DNA from his garage, where prosecutors allege Burke dismembered her body, and from his Tesla, where the body was found months later. Burke has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, sexual abuse of a child and mutilation of a body, and his lawyers have said he did not cause Rivas Hernandez’s death.
Lauren Wallace, a criminalist with the Los Angeles Police Department, testified that she found apparent blood stains on rubber mats on the floor of the garage in Burke’s Hollywood home, as well as slits — most likely from a sharp object — on the mats. Prosecutors said in a filing before the hearing that blood found in the garage matched Rivas Hernandez's DNA. Wallace testified that she did not find blood evidence on two chain saws in the garage that purchase records showed Burke had ordered soon after the girl's death. But she said she sprayed the floor mats with a chemical that shows possible blood stains otherwise not visible by the naked eye by making it glow blue. A photo showed the whole area cloaked in bright blue, bringing soft gasps from people in the courtroom. And she said possible blood evidence was found on garbage bags and cleaning wipes, and a rowing machine in the garage. Another LAPD criminalist, Chelsea Murillo, found fewer and smaller but similar stains in the Tesla. The vehicle was identified as a 2023 black Tesla Model X.
The defense pressed the witnesses over every step of the evidence collection process, attempting to show lapses in preserving potential crime scenes. Burke's attorney, Blair Berk, asked who had been wearing gloves — or not — with access to the car, and why Murillo didn't swab for DNA on the outside of the Tesla. “It didn’t seem necessary,” Murillo said. Defense attorneys often use preliminary hearings to explore potential weaknesses in the prosecution's case that can be exploited at trial. During cross-examination, Berk questioned the reliability of the presumptive tests, asking Murillo, “It's only presumptive. It doesn't mean you found blood?” Murillo replied, “Yes.”
Wallace also testified that a third chain saw that police said Burke had ordered was not found.
Additional details from Wednesday's testimony revealed that possible bloodstains were detected on a green tarp, a crumpled inflatable pool that had the odor of fresh laundry, and other items in the garage. Wallace observed damage to the pool, noting that it appeared to have been cut. The inflatable pool was among items purchased by Burke under an alias. Defense attorney Blair Berk cast skepticism over the findings, noting that the tests were only presumptive and did not confirm the presence of blood.
On Friday, the third day of the hearing, new details emerged about the sexual relationship between Burke and the victim. LAPD Detective Corey Farell testified that nearly 50 sexually explicit photos were recovered from Burke's phone and iCloud data, depicting both Burke and the victim. Farell stated that the first online messages between Burke and Celeste date back to August 2022, when she was just 11 years old. Their sexual relationship began when Celeste was 13, as detailed in graphic text messages read aloud in court. Farell testified that they discussed past and future sexual liaisons, as well as their relationship and future plans.
The texts also revealed that Celeste had taken Plan B emergency contraception and had an abortion at age 13. In one message, Celeste wrote, "I killed my first kid for you." Other messages detailed plans to move in together, which the pair called "Operation Awesome." Later messages showed the relationship deteriorating, with Celeste expressing upset about the abortion.
Additionally, Dr. Grant Ho of the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office, who performed the autopsy, testified about the fatal injuries. He stated that the cause of death was two sharp force wounds to the upper body: one on the abdomen that penetrated the liver, and another on the left chest that damaged the ribs. Due to the advanced decomposition of the body, Ho could not determine the exact time of death, saying it was "extremely difficult to tell" and that she had been dead for "at least weeks." When asked if it could have been four to five months, he replied "potentially." Authorities believe she was killed in April 2025; her body was discovered last September. Ho noted that Rivas Hernandez was found the day after she would have turned 15, prompting the prosecutor to ask, "She didn't make it to her 15th birthday, correct?" Ho replied, "Correct." Regarding how long it would take to bleed out from the wounds, Ho testified "it would take minutes, at least," and when pressed, he said it could have potentially taken an hour but would not commit to that. The victim's parents were not in court for this testimony.
Prosecutors used this evidence to further establish Burke's motive and the nature of his relationship with the minor.
On the fourth day of the hearing, additional text messages were presented revealing that Burke had impregnated Celeste Rivas Hernandez and that she subsequently had an abortion. In January 2024, Burke apologized to Rivas Hernandez for “putting her through this,” according to a text message obtained from his phone. Celeste replied, “Neither of us are capable of watching and taking care of the baby. it’s for the best no?” She was 13 at the time. The abortion appeared to have weighed heavily on her; in August 2024, she wrote, “I care abt u i killed my kid [for] you … i don’t like talking about it cause it gets [me really] upset but id do anything to have it back.”
Other messages showed Burke fantasizing about their future together. In June 2024, he wrote to Celeste, “I can’t wait to move in tg without the cops bitching baby,” and floated the idea of eloping in Italy. The couple had previously referred to their cohabitation plan as “Operation Awesome.”
During the testimony, Rivas Hernandez’s parents left the room as LAPD Detective Corey Farell discussed explicit photographs the pair took of each other naked. Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman apologized to the victim’s mother, Mercedes Martinez, saying, “It’s too much.”
Dr. Grant Ho also faced cross-examination from defense attorney Marilyn Bednarski regarding the autopsy. Bednarski questioned whether the victim could have been holding an instrument that caused the fatal wounds. Ho replied that he could not rule it out, but noted that self-inflicted injuries are typically accompanied by “hesitation marks” on the skin, which were not present on the teenager’s remains.
Speculation about the pregnancy had swirled online after prosecutors previewed their intent to present text correspondence referencing pregnancy, abortion, and Plan B in an earlier court filing.
Benjamin Greger, Burke's financial manager, testified that Burke earned over $10 million from his music career. A former manager for D4vd testified Tuesday afternoon the singer raked in as much as $11.5 million through record contracts and other income between 2023 and 2025. The New York-born singer gained fame by layering his own music over clips of the popular video game “Fortnite” and with the viral TikTok track “Romantic Homicide.” His music and videos often feature dark and violent imagery delivered through an alter-ego character he calls Itami; his songs have garnered billions of streams on Spotify.
Prosecutors argue Burke killed Rivas Hernandez after she threatened to expose their relationship, which could have ruined his career. The alleged murder occurred on April 23, 2025, just before his debut album 'Withered' was released.
Burke is charged with murder with special circumstances as prosecutors have alleged he lay in wait and killed Hernandez for financial gain. Burke is also charged with continuous sexual abuse of Hernandez, a fan he met online when she was as young as 11 years old, court records have shown. Prosecutors said Burke began abusing the girl in 2023 and killed her last year after she threatened to go public about their relationship. Fearing the collapse of his burgeoning music career, Burke invited Hernandez to his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, and stabbed her twice after she threatened to expose him, prosecutors said in a nine-page court filing in April. Burke dismembered his victim’s body with a chainsaw and amputated two of her fingers to erase evidence of a tattoo linking the pair, according to the filing. Burke has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied wrongdoing through his attorneys. He appeared in court Tuesday in an orange jail jumpsuit and remained shackled to his chair.
From 2022 to 2025, Interscope paid Burke and affiliated entities more than $7.2m, a figure that encompassed legal fees and a trust mandated by California law for underage entertainers, according to a summary of payments exhibited to the courtroom. The label terminated his contract in December 2025.
Defense attorney Blair Berk questioned the investigation's protocols, noting delays in evidence collection and lack of DNA testing on key items like the body bag and chainsaws. The defense also highlighted a blue iPhone 15 found at Burke's residence that may have belonged to the victim.
The case has gripped Los Angeles and Riverside counties. The victim was from Lake Elsinore, and the remains were found in a Hollywood tow yard. The hearing is being held at the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Rivas Hernandez went missing multiple times starting in 2024. Burke was arrested in April 2026 after her remains were discovered in his Tesla on September 8, 2025. The case has drawn national attention due to Burke's rising fame as a singer.
The preliminary hearing concluded after five days, and on July 28, 2026, Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo ordered David Anthony Burke to stand trial for the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The judge found probable cause to proceed on all charges, including first-degree murder, sexual abuse of a child, and mutilation of remains. Burke remains in custody without bail. If convicted, he faces life in prison or the death penalty; the District Attorney has yet to decide on seeking capital punishment. Nathan Hochman, the Los Angeles county district attorney, told reporters outside the courthouse earlier: “When – we do not predict if – when he is convicted, we will then be seeking the sentence that we are allowed to seek by order of the law. We will let you know at a future date whether or not that sentence will also include the death penalty.”
After Burke’s arrest was announced in April, Celeste’s family released a statement eulogizing her: “Celeste was a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance. Every Friday night was movie night and we spent wonderful times together. We love her very much and she always told us that she loved us. We miss her deeply. All we want is justice for Celeste.”
