D4vd in court: Preliminary hearing enters 5th day

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LOS ANGELES – Testimony resumes Monday in downtown Los Angeles for the fifth and likely final day of the preliminary hearing for David Anthony Burke, the 21-year-old singer known as D4vd.

A judge is expected to decide whether Burke will stand trial for first-degree murder, child sexual abuse, and mutilation of human remains in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Apple Music Profile Allegedly Hacked 

What we know:

Over the weekend, Burke's official Apple Music artist page was briefly compromised. On Saturday, an unauthorized track called "I Did It," appeared on his profile, utilizing an AI-synthesized version of Burke's voice. The song's cover art displayed a photograph of the impounded Tesla frunk where Celeste's remains were discovered, and the lyrics explicitly referenced the 14-year-old by name.

Apple removed the track shortly after it was uploaded, though clips of the song circulated widely across social media over the weekend as the high-profile hearing reached its final stage.

RELATED: D4vd's Apple Music profile reportedly hacked with fake 'I DID IT…' song

Burke was arrested and charged in the murder of Rivas Hernandez, who had been reported missing out of Riverside County multiple times beginning in 2024.

Preliminary Hearing Details Revealed

Prosecutors argue that Burke engaged in an illegal sexual relationship with Rivas Hernandez and murdered her when she threatened to expose him ahead of his debut album release. Throughout the emotional proceeding, prosecutors presented a continuous chain of digital paper trails, financial records, cell tower GPS tracking, and graphic forensic testimony to establish probable cause in the teen's brutal killing.

Digital evidence introduced in court revealed the pair first connected on social media via Discord when Rivas Hernandez was just 11 years old and he was 17. Text messages and recovered iCloud files documented a secret relationship, travel together, and a January 2024 pregnancy that ended in an abortion, with Burke asking her to keep their intimate relationship secret.

To establish a multimillion-dollar motive, an Interscope Records executive testified that Burke’s record deal and brand endorsements were worth upwards of $13 million—a massive fortune prosecutors argue he killed to protect. Defense attorneys countered that Burke’s mother handled his day-to-day finances and that he was largely unaware of his own net worth.

Location data provided a key geographic link connecting Burke to evidence left miles away. An LAPD cellular expert working alongside the FBI testified that cell tower logs and GPS data from Burke's phone and Tesla showed simultaneous trips from his Hollywood Hills home to a Santa Barbara highway site where Celeste’s passport card was found in tall grass. Those trips occurred on three separate occasions, including hours after the alleged murder. Months later, the 14-year-old's dismembered remains were discovered inside two bags in the front trunk ("frunk") of Burke’s impounded Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard, surrounded by 11 air fresheners, maggots, and severe decomposition.

Medical examiners and LAPD criminalists provided graphic forensic details linking Burke's home directly to the victim’s remains. Forensic testing revealed hidden bloodstains across Burke’s garage floor, rubber mats, tarps, and a blue inflatable pool. In a crucial piece of physical evidence, a trace analysis expert physically matched tiny blue plastic fragments recovered during the autopsy and clinging to the victim's leggings directly to cuts in the garage pool "like puzzle pieces."

The deputy medical examiner testified that Rivas Hernandez died from two fatal penetrating stab wounds to her torso before her body was dismembered with a power saw.

"She is silenced, but you know what? She is speaking to us through all these injuries," said former LAPD Detective Moses Castillo, who observed the graphic autopsy photographs displayed inside the courtroom.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• D4vd in court: Rivas Hernandez was pregnant and had abortion at 13, testimony reveals
• D4vd in court: Alleged $13M financial motive and gruesome Tesla evidence take center stage
• D4vd hearing Day 1: Testimony and graphic evidence presented in court

The other side:

Throughout the hearing, defense attorneys aggressively pushed back on investigators' evidence collection, highlighting that two chainsaws found in the garage and a third mini saw discovered inside the house were not collected into evidence after initial swabs tested negative for blood. They also noted that the passport found in Santa Barbara was handled with bare hands by a road worker.

Burke and his legal team maintain his innocence. 

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The backstory:

On Sept. 8, 2025, the remains of Rivas Hernandez were discovered inside a Tesla registered to the singer at a Hollywood tow yard. Investigators said the vehicle had been impounded after it was illegally parked in the Hollywood Hills, where Burke was renting a home for a reported $20,000 a month.

Prosecutors previously stated in court that the teenager's body was so severely decomposed that the medical examiner had to rely on dental records for identification. According to an autopsy report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, Rivas Hernandez's cause of death was ruled a homicide caused by "multiple penetrating injuries with unspecified objects."

Investigators determined she was killed on April 23, 2025. Nearly a year later, Burke was arrested and subsequently charged with first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. The criminal complaint also includes special circumstance allegations of murder of a witness, murder for financial gain, and lying in wait.

Timeline:

Key dates in the investigation include:

• Feb. 17, 2024: Deputies conduct a welfare check at Burke's home; he is informed Rivas Hernandez is 13 years old.
• April 22–23, 2025: Rivas Hernandez allegedly threatened to expose their relationship during an argument; investigators believe she was murdered on April 23.
• April 25, 2025: Burke’s debut album, Withered, is released.
• May–July 2025: Prosecutors allege Burke used aliases to buy chainsaws, a body bag, a pool, and a burn box.
• Sept. 8, 2025: The 14-year-old's remains are found inside an impounded Tesla registered to Burke in a Hollywood tow yard.
• April 17, 2026: Burke is arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
• July 27, 2026: Preliminary hearing enters Day 5 as testimony resumes in downtown Los Angeles.

What's next:

On Monday, a superior court judge is expected to rule at the conclusion of arguments on whether Burke will face a jury trial in the murder case. Burke remains held without bail.

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