Prosecutors began to lay out gruesome evidence on Tuesday as a hearing began to prove there is probable cause for singer D4vd to stand trial for the murder and sexual abuse of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a minor whose severed body parts were discovered in his car.
Prosecutors have accused 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. The state says the sexual abuse began in November 2023, when Burke was 18 and Hernandez was 13.
On Tuesday, prosecutors showed photos of the dismembered and decomposing body of Rivas Hernandez, which had been found at a Hollywood tow yard in September in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke.
Detective 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 the vehicle, according to court documents.
Rivas Hernandez’s parents were in court along with dozens of reporters and members of the public who obtained their seats through a lottery drawing. After the graphic images of their daughter were displayed, deputy district attorney Beth Silverman used a break to check on Celeste’s parents.
Byers’s testimony also offered a glimpse into Burke’s behavior after the alleged fatal stabbing.
Under a fake name, Trayvion Davis, the singer used his credit cards to purchase chainsaws, a body bag and a shovel, the detective said.
Prosecutors also 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.”
The preliminary hearing is expected to last between three and five days. It 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. He pleaded not guilty to charges that include first-degree murder, “lewd and lascivious acts” with a child under the age of 14, and the mutilation of human remains.
If convicted of murder, he could 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, said outside court on Tuesday.
“We will let you know at a future date whether or not that sentence will also include the death penalty,” he said.
Burke’s defense team has said their client “was not the cause” of Hernandez’s death.
In an April brief, prosecutors previewed other evidence they intend to show in court. Alleged 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 exhibit surveillance video of Burke last driving the Tesla in July 2025, 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
