New information has surfaced in the preliminary hearing for the alleged murder case involving singer D4vd legal name David Anthony Burke in today’s hearing. The singer attended the hearing shackled to a chair after a judge denied his attorney’s request that he should not be restrained but only his handcuffs ended up being removed.
Ktla.com reports that senior deputy recalled conducting a welfare check for Celeste Rivas Hernandez at the singer’s home in 2024. “Body camera footage shown in court captured Burke answering the door, but Hernandez was not found. After the deputy told Burke the girl was 13 years old, Burke said she had told him she was 18. As the deputy was leaving, Burke said he hoped authorities would find her” (Ktla.com). Burke was charged in April for capital murder in Hernadez’s death who had turned fourteen at the time. Hernandez’s “dismembered body was found Sept. 8, 2025, inside the front trunk of a vehicle at a Los Angeles tow yard. According to court records, the teen was last seen April 23, 2025, when she went to Burke’s home and was stabbed multiple times. Prosecutors allege Burke stood by as she bled to death” (Ktla.com).
Burke has pleaded not guilty for a variety of charges such as first-degree murder, sexual abuse of a child younger than fourteen and unlawful mutilation of human remains. The evidence made it clear that Burke needs to be held accountable therefore, “The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed special-circumstance allegations, including murder of a witness and murder for financial gain, making Burke eligible for the death penalty” (Ktla.com). Prosectors alleged that the 21-year-old killed Hernadez after she threatened to expose their relationship from the beginning which would ruin D4vd’s music career. In conclusion the hearing could take three to seven days to complete, and the judge will decide whether there is enough evidence for the case to become a trial. The singer currently remains in jail without any bail being offered.
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