Newsletters
American singer D4vd will stand trial on charges of killing and dismembering a 14-year-old girl, a Los Angeles judge ruled Monday, finding sufficient evidence after a five-day preliminary hearing.
Judge Charlaine Olmedo said prosecutors had presented enough incriminating evidence to proceed, including text messages from the victim, identified as Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose body was found in the trunk of the singer's car.
The 21-year-old performer, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, allegedly began a sexual relationship with Hernandez when she was 13 and he was 18.
Prosecutors said Hernandez grew jealous over another woman and threatened, in messages sent about 24 hours before her death, to expose the relationship and end his career.
Burke then allegedly arranged for Hernandez to be brought to his home by rideshare and stabbed her to death, prosecutors said.
Amazon purchase records cited by prosecutors show Burke bought chainsaws, an inflatable pool and a portable incinerator described as too small to destroy the body. Hernandez's decomposing remains were discovered in September 2025 in the trunk of a Tesla registered to the singer, which had been towed to a Hollywood impound lot.
Defense attorney Blair Berk argued there was 'no evidence of deliberate intention to kill. Prosecutor Beth Silverman rejected that characterization, saying "there's nothing in this case that sounds like an accident."
Burke rose to fame in 2022 after his song 'Romantic Homicide' went viral on TikTok.
He has pleaded not guilty to one count each of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. He faces life imprisonment or the death penalty if convicted.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
