High-profile criminal cases involving entertainers often draw national attention because they test how celebrity status intersects with the court system. In Los Angeles, a preliminary hearing that began July 21 is now determining whether singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, will stand trial in the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The hearing comes more than a year after the girl’s death and months after prosecutors filed murder and related charges.
Prosecutors are presenting evidence to support a trial
Los Angeles County prosecutors began the multiday preliminary hearing on July 21, seeking to show there is enough evidence for Burke, 21, to be ordered to stand trial, according to the Associated Press, ABC News and NBC Los Angeles. This stage of the case is not a verdict proceeding; instead, Judge Charlaine Olmedo is weighing whether probable cause exists on charges that include murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains, as reported by NBC stations and other outlets.
Testimony so far has focused on forensic evidence and investigators’ accounts of what they found during the investigation. The Associated Press reported that detectives testified Burke ordered items including body bags, chain saws, an inflatable pool and a shovel online in the days after the girl’s death, and criminalists later described collecting possible blood and DNA samples from his garage and from his Tesla.
Prosecutors have also argued Burke had a motive tied to protecting his music career, according to courtroom reporting from the Associated Press and MyNewsLA. Defense attorneys said in earlier court filings and public statements that the evidence will show Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and was not the cause of her death.
The hearing is taking place in downtown Los Angeles, and the confirmed evidence described publicly is closely tied to locations in the city. According to the Associated Press and local television reports, the teenager’s dismembered body was found in the front trunk of Burke’s Tesla after the vehicle was taken to a Hollywood tow yard. Prosecutors have also pointed to Burke’s Hollywood Hills home as a central location in the case.
What is confirmed at this stage is limited to what investigators and attorneys have said in court and in charging documents. Public reporting shows prosecutors allege Celeste Rivas Hernandez was invited to Burke’s home on April 23, 2025, and later killed there, but the full presentation of forensic findings and digital evidence has not yet concluded. Authorities also have not publicly released every piece of evidence expected to be introduced before the hearing ends.
The preliminary hearing is expected to last about four days, according to the Associated Press, though exact timing can shift as witnesses are called. No jury is present during this phase, and no final trial date would be set until after a judge determines whether the case should proceed.
The reason this hearing matters is procedural: under California criminal process, prosecutors must establish enough evidence for a felony case to move forward. News organizations covering the case have described the hearing as an abbreviated trial because witnesses testify and evidence is introduced, but the legal threshold is lower than proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
The broader context of the case has drawn attention because Burke is a nationally known singer performing under the name D4vd, and prosecutors have said the allegations involve both homicide and abuse of a minor. According to court coverage by the Associated Press and other outlets, prosecutors have tied their theory of the case to an alleged effort to prevent the girl from exposing the relationship, while the defense has disputed both causation and the murder allegation.
For Los Angeles residents and the wider public, the immediate significance is straightforward: this week’s hearing will determine only whether the criminal case advances to trial. If Judge Olmedo finds probable cause, Burke would face the next phase of prosecution in Los Angeles County Superior Court; if not, some or all counts could be dismissed at this stage.