Los Angeles prosecutors have charged 21‑year‑old musician David Anthony Burke, known onstage as D4vd, with the murder of 14‑year‑old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a death that has shocked the music community.
During a five‑day preliminary hearing, evidence—including graphic photographs of an allegedly dismembered body and the defendant’s own order of chainsaws and body bags—was presented, leading a judge to issue an order for the case to proceed to trial.
Prosecutors claim Burke stabbed the teenager and dismembered her corpse in the weeks following her disappearance, arguing motives of threat, financial gain and witness elimination. They cite text messages that show threats hurled by the teen accusing him of harming his reputation and career.
D4vd’s defense argued a lack of conclusive evidence, pointing to the absence of CCTV footage and noting contradictory claims about the presence of blood on the chainsaws found in his garage.
The judge, Charlaine Olmedo, concluded that the evidence met the threshold for probable cause on the charges of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains, stating “the people have met their burden on all counts.”
The case is scheduled to be charged on 31 August, with a trial expected to begin within 90 days thereafter. The defense maintains that Hernandez’s parents were aware of the relationship, arguing the teen misrepresented her age. Further evidence will be introduced at trial, including alleged communications and police reports.
The trial has drawn attention both within the music scene and the broader public, raising questions about accountability for public figures and the protection of minors under the law.
