Judge rules US singer D4VD will go on trial for murder over death of 14-year-old girl

Tuesday, July 28, 2026 - A Los Angeles judge has ruled that singer D4vd will stand trial on charges including murd£r, continuous s£xual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains, after prosecutors presented five days of evidence in a preliminary hearing.

Prosecutors alleged that 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was murd£red after she threatened to expose her and D4vd's relationship, which would damage his career.

Judge Charlaine Olmedo on Monday found that prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence during a five-day preliminary hearing to establish probable cause for a trial on charges of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains.

"The people have met their burden on all counts," Olmedo said, ordering that Burke remain in custody without bail.

D4vd, whose real name is David Burke, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The 21-year-old singer reportedly showed no visible reaction as the ruling was delivered. 

Olmedo noted that the probable cause standard required at a preliminary hearing is significantly lower than the burden of proof at trial. Prosecutors, however, maintained that the evidence against Burke was overwhelming.

"Based on the mountains of evidence presented," Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman said, "all of the allegations have been proved way beyond the standard required."

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said prosecutors are still considering whether to seek the death penalty. Burke is scheduled to be arraigned on August 31.

Prosecutors concluded their case on Monday by reconstructing the final hours of Rivas Hernandez's life, alleging that her phone stopped transmitting shortly after she arrived at Burke's Hollywood home on April 23, 2025.

According to prosecutors, she travelled to the house in an Uber arranged by Burke and sent her final text message shortly before arriving: "girly pop i’m almost there open ur door if ur home."

They allege Burke fat@lly st@bbed the teenager after she entered the house.

Prosecutors told the court that the pair had argued over text messages the previous night about Burke's relationship with another woman. During the exchange, Rivas Hernandez allegedly threatened to expose him, writing that she would tell her father "so many lies" about Burke and "i will end ur career and ur life."

According to prosecutors, Burke met Rivas Hernandez when she was 11 and began sexually abusing her when she was 13, and he was 18. They allege he killed her after she threatened to report the relationship before dismembering her body in his garage using chainsaws.

Prosecutors said they have records showing Burke purchased chain saws and plastic wading pools allegedly used in the dismemberment, while DNA matching Rivas Hernandez was found on bloodstains recovered from the garage during a search.

They further alleged that Burke kept the body in the boot of a Tesla registered in his name for several months before it was discovered after the vehicle was towed from the Hollywood Hills in September 2025. Surveillance footage, prosecutors said, will show Burke was the last person to drive the vehicle.

The defence argued there was insufficient evidence to support a murder charge.

"There's no evidence that Mr. Burke harbored a deliberate intent to k!ll Miss Hernandez," defence attorney Marilyn Bednarski said.

She argued that communications between Burke and Rivas Hernandez showed "no threat, no evidence of a history of violence" and that he had "the opposite of homicidal malice" towards her.

The defence also challenged the medical examiner's finding that Rivas Hernandez d!ed from two puncture wounds, arguing it was too inconclusive to establish murder. While the defence did not offer an alternative explanation for her death, it argued it was not required to do so at this stage.

Lawyers for Burke also presented text messages in which Rivas Hernandez allegedly threatened to expose their relationship, contact his mother and friends, and "leak" information about him.

During cross-examination, Detective Farrell acknowledged there was no indication that Rivas Hernandez had threatened to report Burke to police or pursue legal action against him. The defence also argued that she had repeatedly asked to visit Burke in the days before her death and had made threats against him.

Silverman rejected those arguments, telling the court that "the defense tried numerous times throughout these proceedings to dirty up the victim" despite her being a child.

Farrell also testified that both Burke's and Rivas Hernandez's parents were aware of their relationship, that Burke had attended church with her family and that her parents had consented to the pair travelling to London together for a week.

Prosecutors further alleged Burke attempted to cover up the k!lling by sending messages from Rivas Hernandez's phone after her de@th asking where she was and expressing concern for her welfare.

Earlier in the hearing, investigators testified that DNA recovered from apparent bloodstains in Burke's garage matched Rivas Hernandez. Her remains were later found inside the Tesla registered to Burke.

Farrell also described sexually explicit photographs and years of text messages allegedly documenting the relationship between Burke and Rivas Hernandez. He testified that investigators also uncovered evidence indicating she became pregnant in 2024 at the age of 13 and later underwent an abortion.

The material shown in court was so graphic that Rivas Hernandez's mother was left in tears, prompting both parents to leave the courtroom during Friday's proceedings before returning on Monday.