A judge is scheduled to begin hearing evidence this week that will determine whether rising music star D4vd, whose real name is David Burke, should stand trial in connection with the killing and dismemberment of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Prosecutors allege that the 21-year-old singer murdered the teenager to prevent her from revealing their relationship, which they claim she threatened to expose.
According to court filings, prosecutors allege that Burke lured Rivas Hernandez to a Hollywood Hills home he was renting on 23 April 2025. They claim he then stabbed her multiple times before later dismembering her body in his garage using chainsaws. The teenager was reportedly picked up by a car sent by Burke from her hometown of Lake Elsinore, located approximately 80 miles southeast of Los Angeles, and her phone ceased communicating shortly after her arrival at the house.
Prosecutors assert that Burke's motive for the alleged killing was to silence Rivas Hernandez, who they say had threatened to jeopardise his burgeoning music career. A court filing states, "Knowing he had to silence the victim before she ruined his music career as she had threatened, very soon after her arrival at his home, defendant stabbed the victim to death multiple times and stood by while she bled out." Burke has entered a plea of not guilty to charges of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. His attorney, Blair Berk, maintains that he is not responsible for Rivas Hernandez's death.
The preliminary hearing, which will span four days, will function as a mini-trial without a jury. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo's sole responsibility will be to determine if prosecutors have presented sufficient evidence to warrant a full trial. This hearing will also mark the first public disclosure of the prosecution's evidence. Prosecutors intend to present records showing Burke's alleged purchase of chainsaws and plastic wading pools, which they claim were used in the dismemberment. They also allege that investigators discovered Rivas Hernandez's DNA in bloodstains inside Burke's garage during a search.
Further allegations from prosecutors state that Burke kept the teenager's remains in the boot of a Tesla registered in his name for several months. The decomposing body was reportedly discovered in September 2025 after the vehicle was towed from the Hollywood Hills. Prosecutors assert that surveillance footage indicates Burke was the last person to drive the car. Burke was arrested in April following the completion of the investigation. Prosecutors have also revealed that witnesses had to be subpoenaed and the final autopsy report, which confirmed Rivas Hernandez died from multiple stab wounds, was not finalised until December.
Court filings also allege that Burke met Rivas Hernandez when she was 11 and began sexually abusing her when she was 13, at which point he was 18. Prosecutors claim the teenager had disappeared multiple times before her death and spent extended periods with Burke, including a trip to Texas where she met his family. They also allege that Burke falsely informed investigators he had only met the girl once and was unaware she was a minor. Sexually explicit text messages and photographs exchanged between the two have reportedly been recovered by prosecutors.