Singer-songwriter D4vd appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday as prosecutors aim to prove sufficient evidence exists for him to stand trial for the murder and sexual abuse of, Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a minor whose body was found in his car.
Los Angeles county prosecutors accuse the musician, born David Anthony Burke, of stabbing Hernandez to death at his Los Angeles residence last April to silence her from divulging the sexual nature of their relationship as his career was on the rise , according to court documents. Prosecutors say the sexual abuse began in November 2023, when Burke was 18 and Hernandez was 13.
Prosecutors on Tuesday showed a body-camera video with Burke telling sheriff’s deputies who were investigating a missing person’s report that he had only met then 13-year-old Hernandez once in person, and he did not know she was a minor.
“She told me she was 18,” the singer said in the video from February 2024. “Everybody’s telling me she was 13.”
Prosecutors also showed photos of the dismembered and decomposing body of Rivas Hernandez, which had been found on 8 September 2025 by a homicide detective in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke at a Hollywood tow yard.
Det Joshua Byers of the Los Angeles police department testified that he found the head and torso in a body bag, and arms and legs in a garbage bag underneath it. He said two fingers were missing from a hand.
Burke allegedly mutilated her deceased body, sawing her limbs with a chainsaw and amputating her ring finger, which had a tattoo of his name, before discarding her dismembered limbs in a Tesla, according to court documents.
Rivas Hernandez’s parents were in court along with dozens of reporters and members of the public who got their seats through a lottery drawing. After the graphic images were displayed, deputy district attorney Beth Silverman used a break to check in on Celeste’s parents.
The preliminary hearing is expected to last between three and five days. The proceeding follows several delays in the case, in part due to the voluminous amount of investigatory evidence.
Burke, now 21, was arrested in April and has been held in custody since then without bail. If convicted of murder, he may face the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“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,” Nathan Hochman, the Los Angeles county district attorney, told reporters outside the courthouse on Tuesday. “We will let you know at a future date whether or not that sentence will also include the death penalty.”
At the time of his arrest, his defense team said he “was not the cause” of Hernandez’s death. Burke has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
In an April brief, prosecutors previewed the evidence they intend to show the court. Text messages between Burke and Hernandez may be exhibited, including correspondence demonstrating their alleged sexual relations and the girl threatening to expose him.
The state also said it planned to present surveillance video of Burke last driving the Tesla in July 2025, his purchases of a body bag and two chainsaws, and forensic evidence linking bloodstains in his garage to Hernandez’s genetic profile.
Burke rose to popularity with a slew of viral TikTok singles. Last July, he kicked off an international tour in support of his debut album Withered. The tour was nixed in September after Hernandez’s body was found in the car registered to his name. Several of Burke’s former collaborators have since distanced themselves from the singer.
After Burke’s arrest was announced in April, Celeste’s family released a statement eulogizing her.
“Celeste was a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance. Every Friday night was movie night and we spent wonderful times together,” they wrote. “We love her very much and she always told us that she loved us. We miss her deeply. All we want is justice for Celeste.”
The Associated Press contributed reporting
