Way Cleared for Pop Star D4vd to Stand Trial on Murder, Mutilation Charges

Prosecutors have presented sufficient evidence for indie pop singer D4vd to stand trial on charges that he fatally stabbed and dismembered a 14-year-old girl who allegedly threatened to expose their secret relationship, a Los Angeles judge ruled on Monday.

Judge Charlaine Olmedo found there was probable cause for a jury to determine the fate of David Anthony Burke, 21, whose breakthrough success as a recording artist known as D4vd (pronounced “David”) was cut short by his arrest last year.

Burke spent five days in a packed downtown courtroom, shackled to his seat, as prosecutors presented graphic testimony and crime-scene photographs in support of their case. The parents of the victim, Celeste Rivas Hernandez, attended most of the proceedings.

Olmedo ultimately ruled that prosecutors had demonstrated a reasonable probability of Burke’s guilt — the minimum legal standard required to hold a defendant for trial — and ordered that he remain in custody without bail.

The judge rejected defence arguments that the prosecution’s largely circumstantial case failed on technical grounds. Burke, dressed in orange prison clothing and wearing black-rimmed glasses, was escorted from the courtroom shortly afterwards.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office had not yet decided whether it would seek the death penalty.

A conviction at trial would require a 12-member jury to unanimously find Burke guilty beyond reasonable doubt — a significantly higher burden of proof than required at the preliminary hearing. Hochman said he was confident prosecutors would meet that standard.

“There will be additional and significant evidence presented at trial that wasn’t presented at this preliminary hearing,” he told reporters outside the courthouse.

From TikTok to Interscope

Burke began his career as a viral TikTok performer, creating songs for Fortnite gaming videos in 2022. His first hit single, Romantic Homicide, paved the way for a multimillion-dollar recording deal with Interscope Records.

His debut studio album was released in April 2025, during the same period prosecutors allege his underage girlfriend went missing and was killed.

Her decomposed remains were discovered five months later inside the boot of a Tesla sedan that authorities say was registered to Burke. The vehicle had been towed to an impound yard, where workers noticed the smell of decay and alerted police.

The singer-songwriter was arrested in April this year and charged with first-degree murder, mutilation of human remains and child sexual abuse.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges during an April 20 arraignment, where his lead lawyer, Blair Berk, strongly maintained his innocence.

“We believe the actual evidence will show David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez, nor was he the cause of her death,” Berk said at the time.

Chainsaws and Swimming Pool

In a court filing the following week, prosecutors outlined their allegations regarding the manner in which Burke killed the victim, disposed of her body and his alleged motive.

The district attorney’s office claimed Burke acted out of fear that the teenager would damage his growing entertainment career after allegedly threatening to reveal details of their sexual relationship.

“I will end your career and your life,” she wrote in one of a series of emotionally charged text messages submitted as evidence. In another message highlighted by the defence, she wrote: “I will straight-up mutilate your penis.”

Financial manager Benjamin Greger testified that Burke, his only entertainment client, earned between $10 million and $11 million from 2023 to 2025 following his deal with Interscope.

The allegation that the killing was carried out for financial gain is among the special circumstances included in the charges, potentially making Burke eligible for the death penalty. Prosecutors have also alleged that the victim was a witness to a crime.

Prosecutors said that on 23 April 2025, a day after Burke and the teenager allegedly argued over her threats to expose him, he arranged an Uber ride for her to his Hollywood Hills home, where they claim he stabbed her within 20 minutes of her arrival.

During the preliminary hearing, prosecutors displayed photographs of three chainsaws, a shovel and other items they said Burke purchased online under a false name and had delivered to his home after the killing.

They also presented evidence of a blue inflatable plastic swimming pool, which prosecutors said was used to contain blood on the garage floor while the victim’s body was dismembered.

The victim’s torso and head were found inside a black vinyl body bag placed in the front compartment of the abandoned Tesla, on top of a plastic garbage bag containing her limbs, homicide detective Joshua Byers testified.

Fragments of blue plastic from the swimming pool were found embedded in the flesh of the severed limbs, Byers said.

Two fingers on the girl’s left hand had been amputated but were not recovered. Her right index finger carried a tattoo reading “SHHH...”, which prosecutors said matched a similar tattoo later found on Burke’s right index finger.

The remains were identified through dental records, the detective said.

Several biological samples collected from Burke’s garage tested positive for blood, while DNA analysis of multiple specimens matched the victim’s genetic profile, prosecutors said.