D4vd hearing enters third day. Here's what prosecutors have presented in the Celeste Rivas Hernandez case

The preliminary hearing in the murder case against singer D4vd will enter its third day on Thursday after days of prosecutors calling several witnesses and presenting key evidence in the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Over the past couple of days, prosecutors from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office have called a long list of witnesses to testify, including investigators, law enforcement officers and people who worked with D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke.

The 21-year-old is charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances, lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14 and mutilating a body.

Prosecutors have focused on the amount of money Burke was making, evidence found at the Hollywood Tow Yard where Hernandez's remains were found and his relationship with the teen.

Hernandez's family has been present in the courtroom during the hearing, often heard crying and seen getting emotional when graphic images or details are explained about the killing of their daughter.

Prosecutors will continue presenting evidence on Thursday before Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo makes a decision whether there is enough probable cause to proceed to a trial.

Investigators find traces of blood

Lauren Wallace, a criminalist for the LAPD, said she was a part of the scene examination of the garage at Burke's Hollywood Hills home on Sept. 17, 2025.

Wallace testified that she found two chain saws and said they both tested negative for blood.

She said she also found garage mats, a rowing machine and a Tesla charging cord that all had red stains on them. She explained to the court that she used a Bluestar spray that is a highly sensitive luminol-based forensic spray used to detect blood that may not be seen by the naked eye. She said all three items tested positive for blood.

She also testified that a black trash bag, wipes found inside the trash bag and tarps also tested positive for blood.

Wallace said she found a blue inflatable pool that was found crumbled in a ball. She testified that it smelled like fresh laundry. Although it did not have any obvious signs of stains, it tested positive for blood.

Air fresheners found inside Tesla

During the second day of the hearing, Chelsea Murillo, a criminalist for the Los Angeles Police Department, said she responded to the Hollywood Tow yard where Hernandez's remains were discovered on Sept. 8, 2025.

She testified she was involved in processing the scene and preserving evidence from the Tesla registered to Burke.

Murillo said by the time she arrived, the remains had already been transported by the medical examiner, but she noticed an odor coming from the front trunk that, in her professional opinion, resembled an odor from a decomposing body.

She said as she began examining the car, she found 11 air fresheners in the front trunk, center console, and door pockets of the back seats. She also observed flies and maggots in the front trunk.

Detective finds remains in tow yard

On the first day of the preliminary hearing, prosecutors called Joshua Byers, the LAPD detective who responded to the Hollywood Tow Yard on Sept. 8, 2025. Byers said he had responded 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 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.

Beth Silverman, from the LA County DA's Office, presented several graphic images to the court of the bags Byers was describing.

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.

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.

The medical examiner's office 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."