A preliminary hearing has shed new light on the investigation into the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The 21-year-old singer, whose legal name is David Burke, is accused of killing the girl after she threatened to expose their relationship and damage his career as a rising music star.
Key Evidence
Testimony included text messages between d4vd and Celeste that prosecutors say show a sexual relationship with the victim, who was just 13 at the time. Celeste had an abortion the year before she was killed. A judge is weighing whether there’s enough evidence to move forward with a trial.
Celeste’s dismembered body was found in the trunk of d4vd’s Tesla in September 2025, which was parked near his rented Los Angeles home. The musician has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and mutilating human remains.
Body camera footage of a search of d4vd’s home was shown in court, as well as graphic images of Celeste’s dismembered body. The court also heard discussion of chainsaws and a burn box d4vd allegedly purchased under different aliases.
Defense Strategy
d4vd’s defense attorneys worked to challenge the evidence and its collection, providing a window into what could become part of d4vd’s defense strategy if the case goes to trial.
The prosecution presented dozens of photos depicting what they labeled child sexual abuse material, which were recovered from d4vd’s phone and iCloud data. The images were not displayed to the public.
The defense raised questions over the decision not to collect and test chainsaws found in the home that the criminalist determined on site to have no traces of blood.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
