D4vd murder case to begin key evidence hearing

Editor’s Note: This story contains discussions of rape or sexual assault that may be disturbing. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can find help and discreet resources on the National Sexual Assault Hotline website or by calling 1-800-656-4673.

(NewsNation) — A preliminary hearing for singer D4vd, who is charged with killing 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, begins Tuesday, where a judge will decide whether prosecutors have enough evidence to send the case to trial. 

The singer, whose real name is David Burke, is charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances, lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14 and mutilating a body.

Burke has pleaded not guilty to all charges. 

The preliminary hearing will take from three to seven days, according to prosecutors. They will present their evidence in an effort to convince the judge there is enough probable cause to send Burke to trial. 

Rivas Hernandez’s decomposing body was found Sept. 8, 2025, inside the trunk of an impounded Tesla registered to Burke. She was positively identified eight days later by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. 

“The evidence that’s going to be presented is going to be very thorough,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman told NewsNation local affiliate KTLA. 

“It will track Celeste’s movements on that particular night back in April 2025, all the way through September 2025, when her body was found dismembered in multiple bags in the front trunk of a Tesla,” he added.

Defense attorneys for Burke have said that “evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death.”

Could D4vd get the death penalty? 

Prosecutors allege Burke killed Rivas Hernandez to protect his music career and are considering whether to seek the death penalty.

Hochman told KTLA the decision will be made after prosecutors weigh aggravating and mitigating factors and consult with Burke’s attorneys, the victim’s family and senior prosecutors experienced in capital cases.

“We will evaluate the death penalty as we would in any eligible case. We will look at the aggravating and mitigating factors,” Hochman told the outlet.

D4vd song taken down after 8 hours

A song that appeared to be by D4vd briefly appeared on Spotify before being removed about eight hours later, reported TMZ.

The track, titled “Marcescence,” remained listed on D4vd’s Spotify page but was no longer playable after it was taken down.

The song’s artwork showed D4vd appearing to take a mirror selfie.

What happened to Celeste Rivas Hernandez? 

Investigators say Burke met Rivas Hernandez when she was 11 and began a sexual relationship with her when she was 13 and he was 18. Prosecutors allege he killed her to prevent her from revealing the relationship.

Authorities also say they found a significant amount of child sexual abuse material in Burke’s iCloud account. Investigators later searched his rental property and seized electronics and other evidence.

Burke was on tour when Rivas Hernandez’s body was identified in September 2025, but the tour was suspended.

He was arrested on April 16, 2026.

NewsNation’s Steph Whiteside contributed to this story.

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