D4vd Murder Case: Gruesome Details Emerge as Preliminary Hearing Begins

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — July 21, 2026 — Singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, appeared in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Tuesday as prosecutors began presenting graphic evidence in the preliminary hearing for the murder and sexual assault of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

During the first day of proceedings, prosecutors published horrifying crime scene photos detailing the condition of Hernandez’s dismembered remains when they were discovered in the trunk of Burke’s Tesla in September 2025. LAPD Det. Josh Byers testified that the body was found inside cadaver bags in an advanced state of decomposition, with her limbs severed and two fingers amputated in an alleged attempt to erase a matching tattoo.

According to prosecutors, Burke stabbed Hernandez twice at his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, after she threatened to go public with their illicit relationship and ruin his music career. Investigators testified that Burke then used aliases—including “Trayvion Davis” and “Victoria Mendez”—to order chainsaws, an inflatable pool, heavy-duty disposal bags, and a shovel to his home to dismantle the body and cover up the crime.

Additional evidence introduced Tuesday included body-worn camera footage from February 2024, showing deputies questioning a calm Burke about the missing teen months before her death. Prosecutors also brought in testimony from Burke’s former manager establishing that the singer earned up to $11.5 million between 2023 and 2025, supporting special circumstance allegations that the murder was committed for financial gain.

Burke, who sat shackled in an orange jumpsuit, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His defense team, led by attorney Blair Berk, pushed for the expedited preliminary hearing to challenge the prosecution’s evidence ahead of trial.

The preliminary hearing is expected to last up to five days and feature testimony from approximately 10 witnesses. If held to answer and convicted on all counts, Burke faces life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.