Prosecutors Allege Singer D4vd Killed 14-Year-Old to Silence Abuse Threat, Preliminary Hearing Reset

Los Angeles County prosecutors allege that singer D4vd — whose legal name is David Anthony Burke — stabbed 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez to death at his home after she threatened to expose his alleged abuse and derail his music career. Burke has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, and mutilating a body. A Los Angeles County judge this week reset Burke's preliminary hearing to May 26 after the defense sought additional time to review evidence.

The Details

Prosecutors laid out their theory of the killing in a written court filing ahead of the preliminary hearing, according to CBS News Los Angeles. The document alleges Burke knew the teenager's threat against his career required him to act. 'Knowing he had to silence the victim before she ruined his music career as she had threatened, very soon after her arrival at his home, defendant stabbed the victim to death multiple times while she bled out,' prosecutors wrote, as quoted by CBS News Los Angeles.

Burke's attorneys have rejected the account in full. 'Let us be clear — the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death,' defense attorneys said in a statement, according to CBS News Los Angeles.

Rivas Hernandez's dismembered body was found inside a Tesla registered to Burke, according to PBS NewsHour and the Associated Press. The Los Angeles County medical examiner determined she died from penetrating wounds, PBS NewsHour and AP reported.

After the alleged killing, prosecutors contend Burke purchased a series of items intended to conceal and destroy evidence. According to the Los Angeles Times, those items included a shovel, a body bag, heavy-duty bags, chainsaws, an inflatable pool, and a burn cage.

Burke was arrested April 16 and subsequently entered not guilty pleas, according to PBS NewsHour and the Associated Press. Prosecutors told the court they had amassed extensive digital, forensic, and witness evidence gathered through search warrants and grand jury testimony, PBS NewsHour and AP reported. Investigators served 54 search warrants in connection with the case, NBC Los Angeles reported.

Context

Rivas Hernandez was 14 years old and from Lake Elsinore, California, according to the Los Angeles Times. Prosecutors say the alleged abusive relationship between Burke and the victim began when she was underage, the Times reported.

The timeline of the case spans more than a year. NBC Los Angeles reported that the alleged killing occurred in April 2025, but Rivas Hernandez's body was not discovered until September 2025 — a gap that investigators said complicated the overall case.

Burke performs under the name D4vd. He faces three charges in total: first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, and mutilating a body, according to PBS NewsHour and the Associated Press. All charges are allegations; Burke has not been convicted of any offense.

What's Next

A Los Angeles County judge reset the preliminary hearing for May 26 after defense attorneys requested more time to review discovery materials, according to CBS News Los Angeles. CBS also reported the possibility of a status hearing as early as May 12.

At a preliminary hearing, a judge determines whether prosecutors have presented sufficient evidence to require the defendant to stand trial. The proceedings in the D4vd case will next move through that threshold review before any trial date can be set.