The preliminary hearing for singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, moved into its second day on July 22, 2026, at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles. Burke, 21, is charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains in the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo is presiding over the hearing, which prosecutors expected to run about four days with no jury present.
Rivas Hernandez, born September 7, 2010, and raised in Lake Elsinore, California, was reported missing by her parents to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department three times in early 2024. Her decomposed and dismembered remains were found on September 8, 2025, inside the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke after the car had been reported abandoned and impounded near his rented home in the Hollywood Hills. Burke was arrested on April 16, 2026, and charged four days later. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.
Day one of the hearing, on July 21, included testimony from LAPD Robbery-Homicide Detective Joshua Byers, who described the state of the remains found in the Tesla, including severed fingers, and testified about online purchases of a body bag, chain saws, an inflatable pool and a shovel made under an alias and delivered to Burke’s home in the days after Rivas Hernandez disappeared. Jurors also saw body-camera footage from a February 2024 welfare check, during which sheriff’s deputies told Burke that Rivas Hernandez was 13 years old; Burke told them she had said she was 18.
Day two turned first to Burke’s finances. Witnesses testified that Burke earned between roughly $10 million and $11.5 million from 2022 through 2025 through recording, publishing, merchandise and brand partnerships with companies including Crocs, Hollister and Bose. Prosecutors have argued that a pending contract worth several million dollars in guarantees gave Burke a financial motive to silence Rivas Hernandez rather than risk their relationship becoming public.
The afternoon session turned to forensic evidence. LAPD criminalist Lauren Wallace testified that she used BLUESTAR, a chemical test for possible blood, on Burke’s garage in the Hollywood Hills home, and that stains near his Tesla charging plug, on a rowing machine, on rubber floor mats and on the brick floor underneath reacted positively. Prosecutors said in an earlier court filing that blood recovered from the garage matched Rivas Hernandez’s DNA. Wallace also testified that at least 11 air fresheners were found scattered through the Tesla’s center console, rear seats and front trunk when the vehicle was searched. A medical examiner was expected to testify when the hearing continued on July 23.
A preliminary hearing is not a trial. Under California law, it is a hearing before a judge, without a jury, where prosecutors must show probable cause — meaning it is more likely than not — that a crime occurred and that the defendant committed it. That is a far lower bar than the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard required for a conviction at trial. If the judge finds probable cause, Burke will be “held to answer” and the case will proceed toward trial; if not, the charges could be dismissed. The California Courts Self-Help Guide describes this step as part of the standard pretrial process for felony cases in the state.
Before the criminal case, Rivas Hernandez’s family said she was a devoted daughter who attended school in Lake Elsinore and was close with her siblings and cousins. Burke rose to fame in 2022 with the song “Romantic Homicide,” which led to a record deal with Darkroom/Interscope and a run of TikTok and touring success, including a 2023 debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live. He has since been dropped by his label. Background on both the case and Burke’s career is compiled on Wikipedia’s page for the case and on the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s charging announcement.
The preliminary hearing for D4vd, legal name David Anthony Burke, continued into its second day on July 22, 2026, at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles before Judge Charlaine Olmedo. Day two testimony covered Burke’s reported earnings from his music career and forensic evidence collected from his garage and Tesla, including BLUESTAR test results and air fresheners found inside the vehicle. That followed a first day of testimony about the discovery of Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s remains, online purchases made after her disappearance, and body-camera footage from a 2024 welfare check. Medical examiner testimony was scheduled for the next session of the hearing. Burke has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a minor, and mutilation of human remains, and remains held without bail as the hearing proceeds. Additional coverage and case background can be found via cruxbuzz’s crime section and the Los Angeles tag.