A judge has ordered US musician D4vd to stand trial for murder and sexual abuse in the death of a 14-year-old girl, whose remains were found in a Tesla registered to his address last September.
David Anthony Burke, 21 – known to millions as the chart-topping star D4vd – is accused of killing Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The decision came after a five-day preliminary hearing in Los Angeles, where prosecutors called a dozen witnesses and showed photographic evidence as the teenager's family watched from the courtroom, according to the BBC.
“D4vd to trial for murder of teen Celeste Rivas Hernandez; remains found in Tesla.”
Burke has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and sexual abuse of a minor. His arraignment is set for 31 August, and the trial must begin within 90 days of that date, the court ruled.
Prosecutors allege that Burke stabbed the teen before dismembering her body, after years of sexual abuse. They claim he killed her because she threatened to expose their relationship and destroy his multi-million-dollar music career. In texts read in court on Monday, Hernandez sent Burke explosive messages on 22 April 2025, following arguments about his friendship with another girl. “I swear to GOD I will kill u,” one read. Another said: “i will end ur career and ur life I will damage anything.”
The following day, Hernandez took an Uber to Burke’s Hollywood home – a ride he had arranged, prosecutors said. Once she arrived, they allege, Burke stabbed her. Detective Corey Farrell of the Los Angeles Police Department told the hearing that text messages showed the pair had attended church with Hernandez’s family. He also said the teen had misrepresented her age to the musician, telling him at different times that she was 16 or 18.
Burke’s defence lawyers argued the evidence was insufficient. They pointed out that Hernandez’s parents were aware of the relationship and had even given written consent for her to travel with Burke to London for a week. Defence attorney Marilyn Bednarski highlighted texts showing that Hernandez had insisted on coming to Burke’s Hollywood Hills home on the night of 23 April 2025, and that Burke had argued against her coming. He “repeatedly expressed love and care for Ms Hernandez after they broke up,” Bednarski told the court. The defence also noted that the medical examiner could not determine how two penetrating wounds were caused, and that no surveillance video placed Burke at home that night.
But Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo ruled there was enough evidence for a trial. The case now moves towards a full hearing that could decide the fate of one of music’s brightest young stars, whose career hangs in the balance as prosecutors and his legal team prepare for a battle that will examine every detail of the relationship between the singer and the teenager he is accused of killing.
