D4vd hearing set to resume as prosecutors continue presenting evidence in killing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez
The multi-day preliminary hearing in the murder case against singer D4vd, who is accused of killing 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, is expected to continue for the second day on Wednesday.
The hearing began on Tuesday with prosecutors from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office calling their first witnesses and presenting 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 in an orange jumpsuit and Hernandez's family was also present.
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.
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.
As Byers described finding the bags and the remains, Hernandez's family could be heard crying in the courtroom.
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."
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."
