The indie pop singer known as D4vd sat quietly through a daylong court hearing on Tuesday, July 21, as prosecutors outlined in graphic detail a murder case against the musician, accused of stabbing and dismembering his teen girlfriend after she threatened to expose their relationship.
The 21-year-old performer, whose legal name is David Burke, was arrested in April and charged with first-degree murder, mutilation of a corpse and child sexual abuse in a case that halted his budding career for a major music label.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which carry the possibility of the death penalty.
Burke began his career as a viral TikTok sensation with songs recorded for Fortnite gaming videos in 2022, and his first hit single, “Romantic Homicide,” paved the way for a multimillion-dollar deal with Interscope Records.
His debut studio album was released in April 2025, in the week that prosecutors say his 14-year-old girlfriend, Celeste Rivas Hernandez, went missing and was stabbed to death.
Tuesday saw the start of a preliminary hearing in the murder case, requiring prosecutors to convince the presiding judge that the evidence was sufficient to proceed to trial on the charges.
Adding to the tension, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo said at the outset that the victim’s parents were present in the hushed courtroom.
Burke, wearing an orange jail-issued jump suit and black-rimmed eyeglasses, was seen smiling at his attorneys as he took a seat and was shackled to the defense table.
Chainsaws and inflatable pool
He appeared attentive throughout the hearing, often propping his chin on one hand as he gazed in the direction of the witnesses and the large screen at the front of the courtroom on which a series of grisly crime-scene photographs was presented.
Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman also displayed photos of three chain saws, a shovel, and other items Burke had allegedly purchased online under a fictitious name and had delivered to his Hollywood Hills home after the killing on April 23, 2025.
Among these was a plastic blue inflatable swimming pool in which prosecutors said the victim’s body was placed to prevent blood from spilling onto his garage floor.
As the hearing focused on presenting of evidence against Burke, defense lawyers mainly stuck to cross-examination of prosecution witnesses, but they have overtly proclaimed their client’s innocence in previous stages of the case.
Source: Reuters
