Singer D4vd faces trial

What's happened

Los Angeles prosecutors have presented evidence at a preliminary hearing that 21-year-old musician David Anthony Burke, known as D4vd, sexually abused and fatally stabbed 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez in April 2025, then dismembered her body and stored remains in a Tesla registered to him; Burke has pleaded not guilty and will remain jailed without bail pending a judge's decision on whether to send the case to trial.

What's behind the headline?

What prosecutors have shown

• Prosecutors have produced years of messages and photos from Burke's devices and iCloud stretching back to 2022, which they say show a sexual relationship beginning when Celeste was a child and continuing into 2024–25.
• They have shown purchase records and witness testimony about items ordered after her disappearance (body bag, chainsaws, wading pool) and forensic matches of blood and DNA in Burke's garage and the Tesla's trunk.
• Medical testimony has described multiple penetrating wounds and extensive post-mortem dismemberment; photographs of decomposed remains have been shown in court.

What the defence is emphasising

• Defence lawyers are pointing to gaps in direct observation and surveillance: no witness placed Burke at the house at the exact time of death and no camera captured the killing.
• They have emphasised contradictory statements from the teen about her age in earlier messages and highlighted texts in which she threatened Burke, arguing the communications show conflict rather than proof of homicidal intent.

Why the judge's decision matters

• The judge is assessing probable cause, a lower standard than guilt at trial. If the judge finds probable cause, the case will move to trial, where the prosecution must prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
• Evidence already shown will shape prosecutors' charges: murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. A conviction would expose Burke to life or the death penalty under California law if prosecutors pursue special circumstances.

Likely next steps and consequences

• The judge will rule on whether to bind Burke over for trial. If bound over, pre-trial discovery and motions will intensify and both sides will refine forensic and digital evidence for a jury.
• The publicity around the case is ensuring extensive public scrutiny of digital-platform safety, minors' access to adult creators, and how online relationships are policed — legislators and platforms will face renewed pressure to act.

Bottom line

Prosecutors have assembled a dense array of digital, forensic and testimonial material that a judge must now weigh against defence challenges to timing and intent; the case will move forward only if the court finds probable cause to try Burke.

How we got here

The investigation has centred on text messages, iCloud data and forensic traces recovered from Burke's garage and a Tesla; prosecutors allege the relationship began when Celeste was 11 and sexual abuse began at 13. The teen's remains were found in September 2025 and Burke was arrested in April 2026.

Our analysis

The Guardian has provided detailed excerpts of text messages and the court presentation, noting prosecutors' claim that the relationship started when Burke was 18 and Celeste 13 and that he told the girl in June 2024, “i can’t wait to move in tg without the cops bitching baby” (The Guardian). The Independent reported the judge's statement that “The people have met their burden on all counts,” quoting Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman saying prosecutors presented “mountains of evidence,” and also quoted defence lawyer Marilyn Bednarski arguing there is “no evidence that Mr. Burke harbored a deliberate intent to kill” (Independent). BBC reporting emphasised forensic links and the discovery of the body in a Tesla registered to Burke, and published court testimony that messages showed the teen had been pregnant and received an abortion (BBC Business). Sky News reported Burke told deputies in 2024 that the girl had told him she was 18 and carried video excerpts of that interaction (Sky News). The New York Post and other outlets described autopsy testimony in graphic terms and listed items prosecutors say were purchased after the disappearance, including chainsaws and a body bag, and noted blood and DNA matches in Burke's garage and the Tesla (New York Post). Together these accounts trace prosecutors' narrative—digital history, alleged motive and forensic ties—while defence reporting highlights evidentiary gaps and alternate readings of the texts.

Go deeper

• What legal standard will the judge apply when deciding whether the case goes to trial?
• What forensic evidence links the Tesla and Burke's garage to Celeste's remains?
• How have platforms and Burke's former collaborators responded to the allegations?

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