D4vd hearing continues with prosecutors questioning his earnings, relationship with Celeste Rivas Hernandez

On the second day of the preliminary hearing in the murder case against D4vd, who is accused of killing 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, prosecutors turn their focus to his finances and his relationship with the teen.

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.

Inside a downtown Los Angeles courtroom, Beth Silverman, from the LA County District Attorney's Office, called several witnesses to the stand.

Benjamin Greger, who worked on David's management team, testified that Burke earned millions of dollars and controlled assets worth more than $10 million. He said that after Hernandez's remains were discovered, the management team began using encrypted messaging apps.

Greger also testified that Burke discussed using a Texas property as potential bail money and advised him to transfer other properties to his mother's name to protect her from possible civil lawsuits.

During the cross-examination, Greger said he met Burke fewer than five times and never questioned how much money he was making. Greger also said he was aware that Burke was paying for security, including for a man to live in his Hollywood Hills home for several months.  

The defense argued that Greger and his mother managed Burke's finances, and that he was unaware of the day-to-day handling.

Silverman returned by saying that Burke had credit cards and was making purchases. Greger testified that he asked Burke about purchasing airline tickets for Hernandez to travel to London with him.

The second witness called to the stand was Louis Poimiroo, the senior vice president of finance at Interscope Capital. Silverman asked Poimiroo about Burke's contract termination in December 2025.

Silverman said Burke's contract started in 2022 and ended in December 2025. She showed payments that were made to Burke, including $950,000 in 2022, $3.869 million in 2023 and $2.7 million in 2025.

Poimiroo said Burke also made money through his brand deals with companies like Crocs, Hollister and Bose. Silverman asked what percentage of the brand deals Burke was paid and he said it was about 90%, which totaled about $485,000. 

Silverman then called up Officer Sean Buenrostro from the California Highway Patrol. Buenrostro was dispatched to the side of Highway 154 just east of Cielo Road on Jan. 7, 2026, where a Caltrans worker found Hernandez's ID card. 

Buenrostro said the Caltrans worker found the U.S. passport card in tall grass near the shoulder of the highway. As Silverman showed a photo of the passport, Hernandez's mom became visibly upset and was comforted by people around her. 

Buenrostro said the worker searched the name on the internet and saw news articles reporting her murder. 

Prosecutors allege they have evidence that Burke allegedly drove to this highway after Hernandez's murder. 

During the defense's cross-examination, attorneys pointed out that the worker was holding the passport with no gloves on and even tried to put some suspicion on the worker who found it. They also argued the officer did not know how long the passport had been at the location where it was found or if it was washed in by a storm. 

The fourth witness of the day was Chelsea Murillo, a criminologist from the LA Police Department. She was involved in collecting and preserving evidence from the Tesla. 

She testified that there was a layer of dust on the Tesla, which meant it had been sitting out for a long period of time. She said there was a strong odor that was coming from the decomposing body. She also described seeing insects in the front trunk. 

Silverman showed the court a photo of multiple air fresheners inside the Tesla that Murillo said were found mainly in the front trunk, center console and back seats. 

If the judge finds probable cause, the next step after the preliminary hearing is setting a trial date. The preliminary hearing is expected to last several days before a decision is made.

"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."

Prosecutors present graphic photo evidence 

During the first day of the hearing, prosecutors presented a slew of gruesome photos of Hernandez's remains that were discovered in cadaver bags in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke.

The DA's office called its first witness, Senior Deputy Juan Gonzalez, from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, who conducted a welfare check on Burke's Hollywood Hills home in February 2024. It also showed a 10-minute video from Gonzalez's body-worn camera of his interaction with Burke. In the video, Gonzalez can be heard telling Burke that Hernandez was a missing person. The defense briefly cross-examined Gonzalez, which mostly recounted the events of the video and highlighted Burke's cooperation with the officers.

Prosecutors also 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 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. 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.   

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."