Prosecutors Present Gruesome Evidence in Murder Trial of Singer D4vd
At a preliminary hearing, prosecutors displayed photographs of the dismembered body of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, accusing singer David Anthony Burke, known as D4vd, of murder and continuous sexual abuse.
Los Angeles County prosecutors unveiled graphic photographs of a dismembered teenage victim during a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, accusing singer David Anthony Burke – who performs under the name D4vd – of murder and ongoing sexual abuse. The images, taken at a Hollywood tow yard where the body was recovered, showed a torso with blood, a severed arm and a left hand missing two fingers, which authorities say were removed to conceal a tattoo linking the victim to the defendant.
Burke, 23, is alleged to have killed 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez after she threatened to expose their relationship, which began when she was 11. Prosecutors claim he stabbed her twice on April 23, 2025, at his Hollywood Hills residence, then used a chainsaw to dismember the body and placed the remains in the trunk of a Tesla registered to him. The teen’s body was discovered in September 2025 after months of decomposition.
"Are you OK?" Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman asked Hernandez’s parents as she displayed the images in court.
Detective Josh Byers of the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division described finding severed limbs, a cadaver bag and a black plastic trash bag inside the vehicle. He noted that the victim’s legs had been sawed at the kneecap and cut into four pieces, and that plastic fragments from an inflatable pool—ordered by Burke under an alias—were embedded in the remains.
Burke has pleaded not guilty and appeared shackled in an orange jail jumpsuit. He previously told sheriff’s deputies that he had only met Hernandez once in person and believed she was an adult. Court filings indicate the relationship became sexual when she was 13 and continued until a breakup in late November 2024. Text messages between them referenced pregnancy, abortion and emergency contraception.
If convicted on all counts, Burke faces life imprisonment without parole and possibly the death penalty, though the state’s governor has a moratorium on executions. The hearing, which could last up to five days, is expected to feature testimony from law-enforcement officials and medical examiners.