Body-cam footage presented by prosecutors during a preliminary hearing for the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez in Los Angeles shows singer D4vd, legal name David Anthony Burke, speaking with sheriff's deputies after Hernandez, then 13, was reported missing in early 2024.
In the footage, D4vd (pronounced David) can be heard saying that he was not aware that Hernandez was a minor and that he only met her in person one time. 'She told me she was 18,' the 2024 video captured D4vd saying. 'Everybody's telling me she was 13.' Burke has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.
Prosecutors say the body-cam video is relevant to the case because it captures the singer insisting he thought Hernandez was an adult despite being told by investigators that she was only 13 at the time. The prosecution argues that this statement conflicts with evidence they say shows the pair had already been involved in an illegal sexual relationship for months before her death.
Body-Cam Footage Played in Court
The video shown during the hearing was recorded in February 2024 when Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies visited Burke's home while investigating Hernandez's disappearance. The footage was reportedly recorded from LA County Sheriff's Deputy Juan Gonzalez's bodycam, and he testified that D4vd cooperated with the search and allowed the officers inside the property.
Prosecutors contend that those remarks were misleading, alleging that D4vd, who was 18 at the time, had already been communicating with Hernandez online for years and that their sexual relationship began while she was still under the legal age of consent. The singer had initially said he met Hernandez on Instagram and Discord between 2020 and 2021, per AP News.
The state argues that the footage shows an early attempt by D4vd to distance himself from the teenager and minimise the extent of their connection.
Prosecutors Outline Gruesome Evidence
The footage only contributed to one part of the evidence presented during the preliminary hearing, which is expected to run for 3-5 days. Detective Joshua Byers testified that Burke had bought chainsaws along with 'a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags, and a blue inflatable pool' as part of him taking 'horrifying measures to destroy and discard the victim's body.'
Investigators said the purchases were made under a false name but were linked to D4vd through payment records. Prosecutors also alleged that D4vd lured Celeste Rivas Hernandez to his Hollywood Hills rental property before fatally stabbing her. They claim he later dismembered her body using the chainsaws.
D4vd has pleaded not guilty to the charges laid against him, including first-degree murder, 'lewd and lascivious acts' with a child under the age of 14, and the mutilation of human remains, per The Guardian. The singer may face the death penalty or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if convicted.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman told reporters: 'When – we do not predict if – when he is convicted, we will then be seeking the sentence that we are allowed to seek by order of the law. We will let you know at a future date whether or not that sentence will also include the death penalty.'
