A Los Angeles judge has decided that rising music star D4vd will face a full murder trial over the brutal killing and dismemberment of 14-year-old fan Celeste Rivas Hernandez, after hearing five days of evidence that looked more like a horror film than a courtroom record.
Story Snapshot
- Judge Charlaine Olmedo found probable cause and ordered singer D4vd, legal name David Burke, to stand trial for murder, child sexual abuse, and unlawful mutilation of human remains.
- Celeste’s decomposed, dismembered body was found in cadaver bags in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke, months after she vanished.
- Prosecutors say digital trails, online purchases, and forensic tests tie Burke to a secret sexual relationship, a stabbing, chainsaw dismemberment, and efforts to hide the crime.
- The case highlights how modern homicide trials are built on phones, data, and disturbing images long before a jury ever hears opening statements.
A child’s body in a Tesla and a judge’s hard decision
Los Angeles police found Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s remains in September 2025, stuffed into body bags in the front trunk of a Tesla that looked abandoned in the Hollywood Hills. The car was registered to singer David Burke, known as D4vd, whose alt-pop career was just taking off.
Prosecutors say the seventh grader’s body was severely decomposed and cut into pieces, with her torso and head in one bag and her limbs in another. That grim discovery launched a long and careful investigation.
Judge rules singer D4vd must stand trial in killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez 👉 https://t.co/RCotLGaaGo pic.twitter.com/zdnQl0zbpu
— Alaska's News Source (@AKNewsNow) July 28, 2026
After months of forensic work, the Los Angeles County medical examiner ruled Celeste’s death a homicide. An autopsy later found she died from “multiple penetrating injuries” to her chest and abdomen, which fit sharp force trauma, like stabbing. Small blue plastic fragments were found in the cut surfaces of her limbs.
An expert matched those fragments to an inflatable pool that prosecutors say Burke used during dismemberment in his garage. That detail, while simple, tells you how closely investigators picked apart this scene.
What prosecutors say happened between a celebrity and a 14-year-old fan
Prosecutors paint a picture that begins like so many modern horror stories: a star, a teen fan, and secret online contact that spiraled into abuse.
Reporting on the case says Burke, then 21, carried on a sexual relationship with Celeste for years, starting when she was under 14. Text messages and photos shown in court suggest intimacy, control, and fear.
Celeste had tattoos that linked her to Burke, including his name on her left ring finger, which was later cut off and never found. That is the kind of possession-minded behavior most parents dread.
Authorities say Celeste finally threatened to expose the relationship, worried about her safety and fed up with the secrecy. Prosecutors argue that this threat to his image and career became the motive.
They claim Burke lured her to his home in April 2025, stabbed her, then moved her body into an inflatable pool and used chainsaws he had ordered online to cut her apart.
Digital breadcrumbs, chainsaw receipts, and the modern murder case
This case is not built on one eyewitness. It is built on data. Investigators collected about 40 terabytes of digital information from phones, apps, and other devices, according to prosecutors. Burke’s iPhone, they say, held a “significant amount” of child sexual abuse material, which they argue supports the pattern of targeting minors.
Police also traced online purchases shipped to Burke after Celeste’s death: chainsaws, body bags, an inflatable pool, and a shovel. Each item fits into the physical story of how her body was handled.
Vehicle records and location data tracked where Burke’s Tesla went and when it was left in the Hollywood Hills. When the car was towed, workers later opened the front trunk and found the cadaver bags full of insects and maggots, along with eleven air fresheners apparently meant to mask the smell.
Forensic testing found blood in Burke’s garage that matched Celeste’s genetic profile. All of this is classic modern prosecution: stack dozens of small digital and physical facts until they point in one direction.
The judge’s ruling, the defense strategy, and what comes next
During the five-day preliminary hearing, Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman walked the judge through graphic photos, texts, and purchase records. The state laid out a tight, 21-minute murder window in April 2025, then a months-long cover-up ending with the Tesla dumped on a hillside.
Burke’s defense did not argue that Celeste never met him. Instead, they suggested that her family allowed or knew of the relationship and attacked gaps in the timeline and forensic limits created by heavy decomposition. That strategy leans on reasonable doubt, not innocence in the moral sense.
This is disturbing. Singer D4vd (David Burke) is heading to trial for the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. He's pleaded not guilty, but prosecutors are now weighing the DEATH PENALTY. 👀⚖️
Read more 🔗 https://t.co/Ymw4zzV2np— News Legend NG (@newslegend_ng) July 29, 2026
Judge Charlaine Olmedo ruled the evidence showed probable cause for trial on charges of first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. Burke has pleaded not guilty and remains held without bail. A probable cause ruling is not a conviction.
It simply means the state showed enough that a jury must decide. Still, from a law-and-order viewpoint that values child protection, the mix of Celeste’s age, the sexual evidence, and the condition of her body makes this a rare case where the system must respond with maximum seriousness.
Sources:
abc7ny.com, bbc.com, youtube.com, foxla.com, nypost.com, instagram.com
