SerpApi.Org
During the start of a multi-day preliminary hearing in the murder case against singer and songwriter D4vd, who is facing first-degree murder charges in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, prosecutors called their first witnesses and presented graphic photo evidence.
D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, 21, is charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances, lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14 and mutilating a body. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his attorneys have denied all allegations.
Burke appeared inside a downtown Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday wearing an orange jumpsuit. Also in attendance were Hernandez's family and her parents.
The DA's office called its first witness, Senior Deputy Juan Gonzalez, from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Gonzalez said he responded to a welfare check at Burke's Hollywood Hills home in February 2024. He said he got a call from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office to see if Celeste Rivas was at the residence.
Gonzalez said he asked Burke when the last time he saw her was and how they met. Gonzalez said that Burke responded by saying the last time he saw her was in 2023 and that they met through an online chat on Discord in 2021. Gonzalez said that Burke claimed to barely know Hernandez and that she allegedly told him she was 18 years old.
Prosecutors also presented text messages recovered from Burke's iCloud that allegedly document the pair's discussions about sex, pregnancy and abortion. Investigators said they allegedly found explicit photographs on his phone.
The DA's office also showed a 10-minute video from Gonzalez's body-worn camera where Gonzalez could be seen showing Burke a missing persons flyer of Hernandez.
The defense briefly cross-examined Gonzalez, which mostly recounted the events of the video and highlighted Burke's cooperation with the officers.
Prosecutors asked Gonzalez if Burke told him that he and Celeste were having sexual relations, to which the defense objected and the judge sustained. Gonzalez did not answer the question and he was dismissed from the stand.
Prosecutors then called Joshua Byers, the detective who responded to the Hollywood Tow yard on Sept. 8, 2025, where Hernandez's remains were later discovered. Byers said he was initially called to the scene for a death investigation about a body found in a car.
Byers said when he arrived at the scene, he opened the front trunk of the Tesla where he found a partially opened black body bag with the torso and head inside. Byers went on to describe in graphic detail how he found Hernandez's remains in several bags. He said after removing the bag, he found another black plastic trash bag with the body's severed limbs. During this time, Hernandez's family could be heard crying in the courtroom as Byers described what he saw.
The DA's office added that security video and other evidence confirmed that Burke was the last person to drive the Tesla on July 29, 2025, before he left LA for a concert tour.
Prosecutors also presented gruesome photos from the scene. Byers said there was quite a bit of decomposition and he could not make out facial features at the time. Investigators said they used dental records to identify Rivas' remains.
"[Rivas' mother] still hasn't been able to wrap her head around that Celeste was killed in such a gruesome, horrible manner," said Patrick Seinfeld, the attorney for Rivas' family. "She can't understand how anyone could be so vile."
If the judge finds probable cause, the next step is setting a trial date. The preliminary hearing is expected to last several days as prosecutors continue to call witnesses, present evidence and the defense cross-examines witnesses.
"We will be seeking to hold David to answer for three felony counts for which he has been charged," LA County DA Nathan Hochman said outside of the courthouse. "First degree murder with special circumstances, the count of lewd and lascivious acts with a 13-year-old and the count of mutilation of human remains."
Murder case against D4vd
Prosecutors have alleged that Burke and Hernandez were involved in a sexual relationship that lasted several years before she threatened to expose their relationship and derail his music career.
According to court documents, the DA's office argues that Burke arranged a ride-share to bring the 14-year-old to his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, before he allegedly stabbed her.
They also allege that he tried to cover his tracks by buying items under a fake name to dispose of her body, including a shovel, body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags, two chainsaws, a blue inflatable pool and a burn cage. They believe that he texted and called her as if she were still alive.
Hernandez's remains were discovered on Sept. 8, 2025, after police responded to reports of a foul smell attracting flies at the Hollywood Tow yard.
Medical examiners later determined that Hernandez was killed with "multiple penetrating wounds" in April 2025, several months before her dismembered, decomposing body was found in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke.
"For several weeks, or possibly months, defendant left the victim's body to decompose inside his Tesla," prosecutors wrote in a court filing in April. "He lied to friends, business associates, and others who noticed the strong smell of decay in and around his home and vehicle."
Prosecutors claim that the burn cage was part of Burke's alleged "plan to incinerate evidence." He used the "blue inflatable pool to prevent her blood from spilling onto his garage floor" while she was dismembered, the DA's Office wrote in the court filing.
The murder charges include special circumstances — lying in wait, committing the crime for financial gain and murdering the witness in an investigation. If convicted, Burke faces the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Hochman has not said yet whether his office will seek the death penalty.
"We will prove at that point beyond a reasonable doubt that David committed these three crimes," Hochman said. "And when, we will not predict if, when he is convicted we will then be seeking the sentence that we are allowed to seek by order of law."
