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In the 10 months since a girl’s severely decomposed remains were found in d4vd’s abandoned car, prosecutors have described in gruesome detail how they believe the famed singer killed and dismembered the 14-year-old runaway to prevent her from disclosing details about their relationship.
The 21-year-old musician, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and mutilating human remains in connection with the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
A judge is hearing evidence in the case and will decide whether there is enough to move forward with a trial. The preliminary hearing, which began Tuesday in Los Angeles, could last several days.
The following is a timeline of d4vd’s connection to Celeste, the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and death, and what we know about the investigation so far:
2022 to 2023: First encounters
D4vd first met Celeste in 2022, when she was 11, according to a document laying out the prosecution’s evidence to support the charges.
In November 2023, the pair began a sexual relationship, prosecutors said. D4vd was 18 and Celeste was 13. That month, d4vd appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and performed his hit “Romantic Homicide.”
Early 2024: Signs of connection
Celeste repeatedly appeared in Burke’s orbit before and after she was reported missing for the first time in February 2024, a CNN investigation found.
In January 2024, she appeared alongside the singer in a livestream video on the social media platform Twitch. The pair joke and banter until about 3 a.m. before d4vd laughingly proclaims, “Delete everything.”
Sometime between January and March 2024, d4vd was photographed getting out of a black Tesla a few blocks from Celeste’s home in Lake Elsinore, California. A local teen later posted the photos on TikTok. CNN geolocated and chronolocated the photos to verify when and where they were taken.
Early 2024: The seventh grader is reported missing
Celeste was reported missing three times in early 2024 as loved ones worried about the seventh grader’s well-being and whereabouts.
She was first reported missing in mid-February 2024 at age 13, according to 911 call logs and missing-person flyers. A poster from that time said she was last seen on or about February 14.
Around that time, someone concerned about her well-being sent an email to an address using d4vd’s name on his record company’s domain.
The writer referenced Celeste’s disappearance and said, “There’s been talk” that d4vd possibly had something to do with it. If there was any truth to that, the person wrote, “Please do the right thing and take her home. Her parents are very worried.”
CNN confirmed the authenticity of the email with the sender, who asked not to be identified due to safety concerns.
Celeste returned home within days of the email being sent, an acquaintance of the family told CNN.
She was reported missing a second time on or about March 19, according to 911 logs and missing-person posters.
The third and final missing-person report was made April 5, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
June 2024-early 2025: Photos capture Celeste alive
It is unclear when Celeste was killed, but photos indicate she was still alive almost a year after she was first reported missing. According to The Associated Press, court documents show authorities said she was 14 when she died.
In June 2024, Celeste was photographed backstage during a sold-out show d4vd performed at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles.
Another clue linking d4vd to Celeste was found in the singer’s rented home after Celeste’s body was identified in September 2025.
A private investigator hired by the owner of the property, Steve Fischer, said he uncovered a digital camera inside the house that contained photos of Celeste and d4vd taken in late December 2024 and early January 2025.
During that time, d4vd posted other photos from the camera’s memory card to his X account, captioned “took these pics,” along with a selfie of him wearing a camera of the same model.
April 22, 2025: An argument and a threat
The musician got in a heated argument with Celeste after the teen became upset about d4vd’s relationships with other women, prosecutors said. Text messages from that night show Celeste “threatened to disclose damaging information about her relationship” with d4vd, then 20, that would “end his career and destroy his life.”
April 23, 2025: Likely date Celeste was killed, prosecutors say
Prosecutors believe this is the day Celeste was killed. The next day, d4vd had an album release party ahead of an international tour.
September 8, 2025: Celeste’s body is found
A day after she would have turned 15, Celeste’s dismembered and decomposing body was found in the front trunk of a Tesla at a police impound yard.
The car, which was registered to d4vd, had apparently been abandoned on a street not far from where d4vd was living in the Hollywood Hills. The vehicle was eventually transferred to the tow yard, where an employee called police after noticing a foul smell coming from it.
No cause of death was released publicly. The autopsy results were later sealed by a judge at the request of the Los Angeles Police Department, whose Robbery-Homicide Division is investigating the girl’s death.
When the body was discovered, d4vd was on a world tour promoting his first full-length album, “Withered.”
September 19, 2025: d4vd cancels world tour
The singer canceled his final US tour stops in San Francisco and Los Angeles as news of Celeste’s death drew national headlines and fervent social media speculation. The entire European leg of the Withered World Tour was also canceled.
February 2026: Grand jury investigation revealed
Court documents revealed a grand jury was investigating d4vd in connection with Celeste’s death. Prosecutors described d4vd as a “target” of the investigation in court filings, submitted as part of a dispute over whether d4vd’s family members could be forced to appear before the grand jury.
April 16: d4vd is arrested
The singer was arrested on suspicion of killing Celeste. He is taken from a home in the Hollywood Hills just over a mile from the tow yard where Celeste’s body was found in his car.
Los Angeles police and US Marshals used a ramming device to breach a door, photos posted by police showed. As they prepared to enter, a squad of officers stood behind the breaching officer with guns drawn.
April 20: d4vd pleads not guilty
The musician pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, a charge that carries a potential sentence of life in prison or the death penalty.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide moratorium on the death penalty in 2019, banning executions during his time in office. But capital punishment remains legal in California, and prosecutors can still seek the death penalty.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Holly Yan, Ray Sanchez, Alaa Elassar, Matt Friedman and Scott Glover contributed to this report.
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