Evidence in the murder case against singer D4VD — who is accused of the brutal murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez — could become public as soon as Friday, depending on the outcome of a hearing scheduled this afternoon in downtown Los Angeles.
David Anthony Burke, 21, was charged with murder, continuous sexual abuse of a minor and mutilation of a corpse earlier this month after Los Angeles police stormed his Hollywood Hills home and arrested him. He pleaded innocent last week.
The singer has long been linked to Hernandez’s disappearance and death, after her badly decomposed body was found in the trunk of a Tesla she owned at a Hollywood tow yard last September. Authorities said Hernandez was last seen at Burke’s Hollywood residence on April 23, 2025.
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said last week that Burke killed the 14-year-old girl because she threatened to expose the fact that he had been sexually abusing her for about a year. An autopsy report made public last week showed that Hernandez died from two stab wounds. When police found her body in the trunk, her body was dismembered and two of her fingers were cut off, reports said.
Burke’s lead defense attorney, Blair Burke, said he did not believe the prosecution’s case could hold up under investigation and pressed for an immediate preliminary hearing during his initial court appearance.
Defendants have the right to a preliminary hearing, in which a judge determines within 10 business days whether prosecutors have enough evidence for the case to go to trial. The standard for prosecutors to prevail at the preliminary hearing is merely probable cause, which falls far short of the “beyond a reasonable doubt” required to win a conviction at trial.
Sub Dist. Atty. Beth Silverman said prosecutors have a wealth of evidence to hand over, including the results of a wiretap and a search of Burke’s cell phone and iCloud accounts, which prosecutors allege revealed “a large amount of child pornography.”
Experts have raised questions about Burke’s hasty strategy. They have publicly questioned Silverman about needing access to more investigative materials, and the medical examiner’s report detailing how Hernandez died was not available to them until last week. According to Silverman, prosecutors also convened three secret grand juries between November 2025 and February 2026 to gather evidence against Burke. The transcripts of those hearings were sealed until last week.
If Burke does not agree to waive the time requirements for his preliminary hearing, it will begin this Friday, May 1. Silverman has said a preliminary hearing in the case could last up to five days.
