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New court sketches offer a look at some of the horrific evidence presented during D4vd's preliminary hearing.
On July 21 and 22, D4vd (legally David Anthony Burke) and Celeste's parents attended a preliminary court hearing in Los Angeles, California. Burke is accused of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez and dismembering her body at his Hollywood Hills home. He has pleaded not guilty on all accounts.
During the hearing, prosecutors presented photographic evidence depicting the condition of the victim's remains when detectives recovered them at a Hollywood tow yard last year. This comes as Celeste's parents were encouraged to "turn their heads" as the traumatic evidence was presented.
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In court sketches replacing the photos, there are drawings of severed fingers, Celeste's arm cut off at the elbow, her limbless torso, and a finger with the phrase 'shhh' tattooed across.
Other drawings showcased the weapons that D4vd allegedly used to destroy and get rid of the evidence, including a chainsaw, inflatable pool, open car, a white trash bag, and a heavy-duty laundry bag. According to witnesses in the courtroom, D4vd was said to have had an expressionless face as the images passed by on the screen.
Los Angeles Police Detective Josh Byers was one of the witnesses involved in the case who testified during the hearing.
When asked what he discovered when he investigated the inside of D4vd's Tesla, he said, "The trunk was open, and there was a partially unzipped body bag with torso and head. Missing extremities at the time."
The detective added, "Various limbs of a body, arms, legs that had been severed."
When asked if investigators were able to make out the victim’s facial features at the time, Byers said, “There was quite a bit of decomposition. The skin slippage made it unrecognizable.”
Describing the scene, he added, "There were maggots. There were flies. I don’t know how to describe the other liquid matter."
During the hearing, D4vd was questioned about his relationship with Celeste ahead of her death, during which he claimed that he was unaware that she was a minor. In bodycam footage obtained by a Los Angeles court, D4vd told an officer, “She told me she was 18. Everybody's telling me she was 13."
The Locked & Loaded hitmaker also said that the two only met once in person. It’s alleged that D4vd stabbed Celeste to death because she was threatening to go public with their “relationship.” Further investigation uncovered that he also allegedly possessed a “significant amount of child pornography” on his iPhone's iCloud account.
This pre-trial proceeding was held for the the judge to determine whether or not there is enough evidence to put the 21-year-old on trial. D4vd has been formally charged with first-degree murder, child sexual abuse, and the unlawful mutilation of human remains.
