Full Breakdown
D4vd Faces Preliminary Hearing Over Murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez
7/24/2026, 10:47:31 AM
Core Event: Preliminary Hearing Details
On July 21, 2026, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo began a multi-day preliminary hearing to decide whether singer David Anthony Burke—known professionally as D4vd—should stand trial for the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Burke has been charged with first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. He has pleaded not guilty. The hearing, now in its third day, focuses on forensic evidence collected from Burke’s Hollywood Hills rental home and the Tesla in which the victim’s dismembered remains were later found.
Background & Context
Rivas Hernandez was reported missing repeatedly beginning in 2024. Her decomposed body was discovered in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke. Prosecutors allege that Burke, then 21, began a sexual relationship with the girl when she was 13 and he was 18, and that she threatened to expose the relationship in early 2025. The prosecution’s narrative holds that Burke stabbed her, dismembered the body in his garage using tools purchased online, and stored the remains in the vehicle for weeks before the car was towed.
Official Statements & Responses
District Attorney Nathan Hochman asserted that the murder was “premeditated” and tied to a “financial motive” to protect Burke’s lucrative music career, adding that the case includes special-circumstance allegations of lying in wait, murder for financial gain and killing a witness.
Deputy medical examiner Dr. Grant Ho testified that the cause of death was homicide caused by multiple penetrating injuries, noting the extensive post-mortem changes limited certain determinations.
Dr. Odey C. Ukpo emphasized the importance of releasing the autopsy findings, stating, “It’s so important for us to release the information that she did not die from something natural, she did not die from drugs, she was stabbed.”
Defense Challenges (Criticism & Opposition)
Burke’s defense team, led by attorneys Blair Berk, Regina Peter and Marilyn Bednarski, has focused on perceived gaps in the forensic collection. Berk questioned why chain-saws found in the garage were not swabbed for DNA, and highlighted that “it’s not saying David Burke’s DNA was definitively found in the mixture.”
During cross-examination, criminalist Lauren Wallace acknowledged that DNA could have transferred without direct contact, prompting Berk to note, “If an item has somebody else’s DNA on it, you wouldn’t be able to see that at the time.”
The defense also raised the possibility that the passport card discovered in early 2026 could have arrived via “storm or weather issue,” suggesting alternative explanations for that piece of evidence.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Chain-saw Testing: Initial chemical tests showed no visible blood on the saws, leading investigators to forgo swabbing. The defense contends this omission weakens the prosecution’s claim that the tools were used in the dismemberment.
- Bag DNA Mixture: Evidence from an outer trash bag revealed a DNA mixture from four contributors, including Burke, while the inner bag’s wipes contained only Rivas Hernandez’s DNA. The prosecution treats the outer bag as implicating Burke, whereas the defense stresses the lack of definitive linkage.
What’s Next
The hearing is slated to continue early next week, with additional testimony from medical examiner Grant Ho expected. Judge Olmedo will issue a ruling on probable cause after the evidentiary presentations conclude, determining whether Burke will face a full trial on the murder and related charges.
