D4vd murder case investigators testify that Celeste Rivas Hernandez was pregnant, had abortion before her death
During the latest testimonies in the D4vd's preliminary hearing, investigators testified that 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was pregnant and had an abortion roughly a year before the singer killed her.
The preliminary hearing has been going on for four days as the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has called several witnesses and presented evidence against D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke.
He is accused of murdering Hernandez and dismembering her body before leaving her remains in the front trunk of his Tesla. Her remains were discovered in a car registered to Burke on Sept. 8, 2025, in the Hollywood Tow Yard.
LA County Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Grant Ho said her remains had "severe decomposition" and her limbs had been dismembered in multiple areas.
Burke is charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances, lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14 and mutilating a body.
Prosecutors also argue that Burke and Hernandez were involved in a sexual relationship and that he allegedly stabbed her "before she ruined his music career" and exposed his criminal conduct. Burke has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his attorneys have denied the allegations.
Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo will decide whether there is enough probable cause to proceed to a trial.
Homicide detective takes the stand
On Friday, Los Angeles Police Department Detective Corey Farell testified that the pair began talking when Hernandez was 11 years old, and Burke was 16.
Farell, citing texts found on Burke's iCloud account, said that their sexual relationship began two months after Hernandez's 13th birthday. She had an abortion roughly two months later in January 2024, according to Farell. He also detailed the dozens of sexually explicit photos allegedly discovered on Burke's phone.
The detective also read text messages between the Hernandez and Burke on the first night she ran away from her family on Feb. 14, 2024. Burke allegedly picked her up at a stop sign near her parents' home in Lake Elsinore.
Hernandez's family attended the preliminary hearing but left the courtroom after witnesses started discussing the sexual relationship and describing the sexually explicit photos allegedly found on Burke's phone.
Medical examiner details autopsy
Ho testified that her body had severe decomposition, which was a factor in determining when she died. He confirmed that she was dead for "at least weeks" before she was found.
He said that her upper extremities were dismembered in one place and her lower extremities were dismembered in two places. He also confirmed two of her fingers had been dismembered. The deputy medical examiner added that he believed that both legs had been amputated by a power tool.
Hernandez's parents were not in the courtroom during Ho's testimony.
Ho said the autopsy revealed two penetrating wounds, one to the chest and another to the abdomen. Ho said her cause of death was by "multiple penetrating wounds."
During cross-examination, the defense asked Ho if he had any conversations with detectives or criminalists prior to the autopsy. Ho responded no.
Ho explained that some evidence was unavailable because of how decomposed the remains were.
Blood stains match Hernandez's DNA
Samantha Tosch, a criminalist for the Los Angeles Police Department, testified on Thursday that blood stains in the front trunk of Burke's Tesla, a black rubber mat from his garage, a Tesla charger and a rowing machine found at his Hollywood Hills home were all consistent with a DNA profile of Hernandez.
Tosch said investigators were able to reference her DNA from a toenail sample taken from the medical examiner's office.
She also testified that they were able to connect Hernandez's DNA to 15 different locations during their investigation.
Traces of blood found in Tesla and Burke's home
Lauren Wallace and Lisa Lahendro, both criminalists for the LAPD, testified that during their investigations they found traces of blood on several items, including a blue inflatable pool that prosecutors believe was used to dismember Hernandez's body.
Investigators testified that blue plastic fragments found on Hernandez's remains match the inflatable pool found in Burke's garage.
Hernandez's remains found in tow yard
On the first day of the preliminary hearing, Beth Silverman from the LA County District Attorney's Office, called Joshua Byers, the LAPD detective discovered her remains.
Byers said he was called to the Hollywood Tow Yard for a death investigation about a potential body that was found inside 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.
Also presented a slew of graphic photo evidence of the cadaver bags.
Byers said there was quite a bit of decomposition, and he could not make out facial features. Investigators said they used dental records to identify Rivas' remains.
D4vd murder case
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.
The DA's office has not said whether it 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."
