A choose dominated that the homicide case in opposition to the singer D4vd will head to trial, following at-times graphic testimony from investigators throughout a dayslong preliminary listening to in Los Angeles.
D4vd — whose authorized identify is David Burke — was arrested and charged in April with the homicide of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez following a monthslong investigation. He has pleaded not responsible to fees that embody first-degree homicide, sexual abuse of a kid and illegal mutilation of human stays.
He continues to face these three fees, with a post-preliminary arraignment scheduled for Aug. 31. A trial is predicted to happen inside 90 days of that date. He stays held with out bail.
Los Angeles County District Lawyer Nathan Hochman, who had expressed confidence that his workplace would meet the evidentiary burden of possible trigger on the three felony fees, mentioned prosecutors offered a “small fraction of our proof” throughout the preliminary listening to.
D4vd seems at Selection’s Energy of Younger Hollywood in Los Angeles, Aug. 8, 2024.
Jordan Strauss/AP Photograph
“We imagine that the proof at trial shall be overwhelming to show guilt past an inexpensive doubt on the three fees with which Mr. Burke shall be charged,” Hochman instructed reporters outdoors the Los Angeles courthouse on Monday following the choose’s choice.
“You bought a small preview of a few of that proof, together with the textual content messages and the video and photographic proof that was additionally offered on to the choose. This was troublesome proof to even hear, but additionally the crime that we’re coping with is extremely horrific and barbaric,” Hochman added.
He mentioned his workplace has not but determined whether or not they may search the dying penalty.
Prosecutors allege that D4vd and Rivas Hernandez started a sexual relationship in 2023, when he was 18 and she or he was 13, and that she was threatening to show their unlawful relationship and wreck his profession if he wouldn’t be unique to her.Â
Simply as tickets for his world tour have been set to go on sale, it’s alleged that the “Romantic Murder” singer ordered an Uber that introduced Rivas Hernandez to his Hollywood Hills dwelling on April 23, 2025, prosecutors mentioned. That was the final time she was seen alive, in line with prosecutors.
Prosecutors allege that D4vd stabbed the teenager a number of instances, watching her bleed out, after which undertook a collection of occasions to dismember her physique and do away with proof. Her badly decomposed stays have been present in two physique baggage within the entrance trunk of D4vd’s impounded Tesla in September 2025, in line with prosecutors. Her passport was discovered on the facet of a rural highway in Santa Barbara County in January, authorities mentioned.
A makeshift memorial for Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose physique was discovered inside a automobile owned by singer D4vd, is displayed outdoors her dwelling in Lake Elsinore, Calif., on April 21, 2026.
Damian Dovarganes/AP Photograph
Over the course of 5 days, prosecutors known as a dozen witnesses as they got down to set up possible trigger that D4vd dedicated the prison offenses to maneuver ahead with a trial.
The listening to noticed graphic testimony from police personnel as they described the scene after responding to the Hollywood tow yard the place Rivas Hernandez’s decomposing, dismembered physique was present in D4vd’s impounded automobile. All through the Tesla, which had a robust odor emanating from it, have been at the very least 11 air fresheners, a Los Angeles Police Division criminologist testified.Â
After seeing information protection of the unidentified physique in D4vd’s automobile, the teenager’s father known as the LAPD involved that it was his daughter who was within the trunk, an LAPD detective mentioned. Dental information have been supplied, and the medical expert recognized the stays on Sept. 16, 2025. The next day, a search warrant was served at D4vd’s residence, in line with the detective.
The detective mentioned a number of objects — together with chainsaws, a mop system, cadaver baggage and a blue inflatable pool — have been ordered to D4vd’s dwelling underneath the alias “Travion Davis” days after Rivas Hernandez was final seen alive. Two of the chainsaws have been present in D4vd’s storage and examined damaging for blood, whereas a 3rd was not discovered, the detective mentioned.Â
A rubber mat on the ground of the storage had a number of cuts and pink marks that examined constructive for blood, in line with a criminalist with the LAPD’s forensic science division who labored on the scene. The DNA profile of the blood matched that of Rivas Hernandez, in line with a DNA analyst for the town.
On this courtroom sketch, David Anthony Burke, who is named D4vd, is seen in court docket, July 21, 2026, in Los Angeles.
Invoice Robles/AP Photograph
The inflatable pool was discovered within the storage broken, with cuts from a blade and items lacking, in line with the criminalist. Blue plastic fragments that have been discovered embedded in Rivas Hernandez’s proper knee have been decided to be a bodily match with the pool, a criminalist assigned to the LAPD’s hint evaluation unit testified.
D4vd’s telephone and Tesla traveled to and from Santa Barbara County, to the desolate highway the place proof within the case was discovered, thrice — first on the night time of April 23, 2025, when prosecutors say Rivas Hernandez was final seen alive, after which two separate instances in Might, an LAPD detective who makes a speciality of cellphone information testified.
Following D4vd’s arrest in April, the detective mentioned he noticed a “Shhh…” tattoo on the singer’s proper index finger and a “Celeste” tattoo on his left ring finger. Rivas Hernandez additionally had a “Shhh…” tattoo on her proper index finger and a tattoo of D4vd’s identify on her left ring finger, which was lacking from her stays, prosecutors mentioned. The Los Angeles County deputy medical expert testified that the ring and pinky fingers on her left hand had been amputated.
Her physique was found a day after her fifteenth birthday, although the teenager had been lifeless for “at the very least weeks,” presumably since April 2025, the deputy medical expert testified. The dismemberment was “doubtlessly” per the usage of an influence device akin to a chainsaw, he mentioned.
Witnesses throughout the preliminary listening to additionally included D4vd’s monetary supervisor and a finance worker at Interscope Data, his former document label, who testified about how a lot the singer was making from his profession. His monetary supervisor mentioned Burke generated about $11 million between 2023 and 2025 by way of merchandise and music publishing advances that got here in and he was set to make rather more.
An LAPD detective additionally testified on textual content messages he mentioned confirmed a sexual relationship between a then-18-year-old D4vd and then-13-year-old Rivas Hernandez and described a collection of express images recovered from D4vd’s iCloud account and cellphone. A photograph proven in court docket confirmed Rivas Hernandez with a “David” tattoo on her left ring finger.
The court docket additionally noticed her final textual content messages, despatched as the teenager was in an Uber headed towards D4vd’s dwelling on April 23, 2025, in line with the detective. Rivas Hernandez texted that she was “nearly there open ur door if u are dwelling,” in line with the messages proven in court docket.
“obtained uuu,” D4vd reportedly responded.
Rivas Hernandez didn’t ship any messages after that night time, in line with the detective. D4vd continued to textual content her, asking the place she was, in what prosecutors alleged was a part of a plot to cowl up her homicide. His final message to her was despatched on April 26, 2025, in line with the detective.
David Anthony Burke, whose stage identify is D4vd, is arraigned in Los Angeles, April 20, 2026, on fees of killing a 14-year-old woman whose dismembered physique was present in his automotive.
Ted Soqui/Pool by way of AP
D4vd has been held on no bail since his arrest. His attorneys have mentioned they plan to “vigorously defend” his innocence.
“The precise proof on this case will present that David Burke didn’t homicide Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the reason for her dying,” his attorneys — Berk, in addition to Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter — mentioned in an announcement following D4vd’s arrest.
Following Monday’s ruling, an lawyer for Rivas Hernandez’s household mentioned they’re “relieved” that the case will transfer ahead to a trial. Their lawyer, Patrick Steinfeld, additionally mentioned the household additionally appreciates the “onerous work” by the district lawyer’s workplace and the LAPD.
ABC Information’ Vanessa Navarrete, Tristan Maglunog and Alex Evans contributed to this report.
