D4vd murder hearing opens with photos of dismembered 14-year-old's remains

Graphic evidence opens hearing

The preliminary hearing for singer D4vd began on July 21 in Los Angeles with Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman displaying photographs of the dismembered body of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The images, shown on a large screen, included her severed head, torso, arms, and legs. The courtroom was packed with dozens of reporters and members of the public who secured seats through a lottery drawing. LAPD homicide detective Joshua Byers testified that the remains were so decomposed that facial features were unrecognizable.

There was quite a bit of decomposition. The skin slippage made it unrecognizable.

Rivas Hernandez's mother looked down and averted her eyes, while her father, Jesus Rivas, watched with a sorrowful expression. D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, sat emotionless, according to reports. The hearing, expected to last three to five days, will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial on charges of first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains.

The alleged relationship and murder

Prosecutors say Burke met Rivas Hernandez when she was 11 years old, and they began a sexual relationship when she was 13 and he was 18. On April 23, 2025, after an argument, Rivas Hernandez threatened to expose the illegal relationship. Fearing that the revelation would devastate his music career, which one witness said had earned more than $10 million, Burke allegedly sent an Uber to bring her to his Hollywood home and then stabbed her to death.

Two days later, on April 25, 2025, Burke's debut album Withered was released. The singer, known for hits like "Here with me" and "Romantic Homicide," was on tour for that album when the body was discovered months later.

Purchase of dismemberment tools

In the days following the alleged murder, Burke ordered a body bag, two chainsaws, an inflatable pool, and a shovel online. Detective Byers testified that the purchases were made under the alias Trayvion Davis but using Burke's own bank cards, and the items were delivered to his Hollywood residence. When police executed a search warrant, most of the items, including two of the three chainsaws and the blue pool, were found in Burke's garage. A blood stain in the garage matched Rivas Hernandez's DNA, prosecutors said.

Discovery and investigation

On September 8, 2025, authorities discovered Rivas Hernandez's remains in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke at a Hollywood tow yard. Her head and torso were inside a body bag that matched the one Burke had ordered; her arms and legs were in a separate garbage bag. Byers testified that the medical examiner at the scene advised against removing the body from the bag because of advanced decomposition, which prevented forensic testing of the bag itself.

Rivas Hernandez's father called police a few days after the body's discovery, having seen news reports and feared it was his daughter. Defense attorney Blair Berk pressed Byers on the handling of the scene and the inability to test the body bag.

Defense and next steps

Burke has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His attorneys stated that "the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death."

Let us be clear, the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death.

The preliminary hearing continues on July 22. A judge will ultimately decide whether the case proceeds to trial.