Singer D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, sat stone-faced in court on Tuesday as his murder trial was postponed once again. The delay allows both sides to review a massive amount of new evidence linking him to the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Burke has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges in connection with the brutal slaying of the teenager, whose body was discovered in the trunk of his Tesla.
Defense Initially Sought Immediate Hearing
Burke's defense team had originally pushed for an immediate preliminary hearing, where a judge determines if prosecutors have enough evidence to proceed to trial. However, they backed off after prosecutors began turning over what they described as a massive amount of digital evidence connecting Burke to the murder. In total, prosecutors said Tuesday that there is more than 40 terabytes of evidence against the singer, which they are in the process of sending to the defense.
'We provided lab reports, all photos, numerous video recordings, a lot of forensic evidence,' said prosecutor Beth Silverman, adding that the prosecution started sending the data last Thursday. However, she noted that it will take 'a few months' for the evidence to be uploaded 'because of the voluminous amount.'
Court Appearance
Burke, 21, appeared in an orange prison suit with his hands and ankles shackled and a chain around his waist. He sat silently during the hearing, only nodding as Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo spoke and replying, 'Yes, Your Honor,' when asked if he agreed to postpone the preliminary hearing. The hearing is now scheduled for June 29 and is expected to last five days.
Allegations of Underage Relationship
Prosecutors have alleged that Burke knew Rivas Hernandez was underage as he pursued a sexual relationship with her. According to a nine-page preliminary trial brief filed late last month, after they broke up in April 2024, the teenager became jealous over Burke's relationships with other women. Rivas Hernandez then 'threatened to disclose damaging information about her relationship with defendant to end his career and destroy his life.' At that time, Burke was set to release his first solo album and had a multi-million dollar career at stake.
Details of the Night of the Murder
Prosecutors say Burke sent an Uber to pick up Rivas Hernandez from her home in Lake Elsinore, California, at around 8:40 p.m. on April 23 last year. She was dropped off at his rented home in Hollywood Hills at about 10:10 p.m. 'Knowing he has to silence the victim before she ruined his music career as she had threatened, very soon after her arrival at his home, [the] defendant stabbed the victim to death multiple times and stood by while she bled out,' the brief alleged. 'At no time did he call law enforcement... to take her to the emergency room to attempt to save her life.'
Attempts to Cover Up
Instead of seeking help, Burke allegedly tried to cover his tracks by sending a text message to Rivas Hernandez asking where she was. 'After placing her body in the blue inflatable pool to prevent her blood from spilling onto his garage floor, defendant used a chainsaw and perhaps other tools to cut off her limbs,' prosecutors alleged. 'Small blue plastic fragments were found in the victim’s remains, which were collected by the LAPD’s Forensic Science Division, Trace Analysis Unit.' Prosecutors said forensics matched those plastic fragments to the inflatable pool Burke had bought weeks earlier.
They also claim that in an effort to 'distance himself from the victim, he amputated her left ring and pinky fingers because her ring finger contained a tattoo of his name.' Those fingers have never been recovered. Once Burke finished mutilating the body, prosecutors say he placed Rivas Hernandez's head and torso in a cadaver bag and her limbs in a garbage bag, putting both in the front trunk of his Tesla. He then allegedly lied to friends and business associates about the strong smell of decay around the house. Before leaving for a tour at the end of July, he parked the Tesla on the street near his rented home.
Initial Meeting and Relationship
The court filing details how Burke first met Rivas Hernandez in January 2021, when she was just 11 years old. They allegedly began a sexual relationship in November 2023, when she was 13 and he was 18. The teenager's mother, who reported her missing three times in 2023, said her daughter was dating a guy named David whom she had never met. Burke denied knowing Rivas Hernandez was a minor, showing investigators a yearbook photo from her phone, according to the filing.
When Rivas Hernandez was found safe, authorities discovered a phone number for Burke in her phone. Her family took the phone away, but prosecutors say Burke continued pursuing her, even paying a junior high school classmate $1,000 to get a phone for Rivas Hernandez. 'Throughout 2024, the victim spent a significant amount of time with defendant, including summer weekends at his home in the Hollywood Hills and traveling with him to Las Vegas, London, and Texas to meet his family.' Text exchanges between them contained references to sex, pregnancy, abortion, and the use of Plan B emergency contraception. Prosecutors allege they broke up in November 2024 but continued communicating.
Charges and Potential Sentence
Burke was formally charged last month with first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous lewd acts with an individual under 14, and mutilating human remains. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office explained that the special circumstances include 'lying in wait, committing this crime for financial gain or murdering a witness in an investigation.' The charges carry a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole and the death penalty.
