Content warning: This article discusses child sexual abuse and murder.
A US judge ruled on Monday that singer D4VD has enough evidence to stand trial in the murder and dismemberment of a 14-year-old girl with whom he had illicit sex.
Los Angeles Judge Charlene Olmedo ruled that the 21-year-old singer, whose real name is David Burke, will stand trial after prosecutors presented evidence during a five-day trial.
He faces charges including murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and unlawful destruction of human remains. He has pleaded not guilty.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said outside court that prosecutors were still deciding whether to seek the death penalty.
What are the charges on D4vd?
In September 2025, the dismembered, mutilated body of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found in the back of a Tesla that was registered in Burke’s name.
Prosecutors alleged that Burke first met Rivas Hernandez when she was 11, and he began sexually abusing her when she was 13 and he was 18.
Los Angeles Police Detective Corey Farrell told the court during questioning that both Burke and Rivas Hernandez’s parents knew about their relationship and that her parents had given her consent to go to London with him for a week.
The detective also read text messages to the court in which Rivas Hernandez said she had become pregnant and had an abortion.
Approximately 24 hours before his murder, Rivas Hernandez sent Burke several expletive-filled text messages. Prosecutors said the text messages showed he was jealous of another woman and threatened to expose their illicit relationship.
The singer then allegedly paid for an Uber to bring Rivas Hernandez to his home, where prosecutors said he stabbed her to death as soon as she entered.
Prosecutors alleged that Burke immediately moved to cover up the murder. Burke sent several text messages to Rivas Hernandez asking where she was and expressing concern – prosecutors say the messages were sent as a cover up after her murder.
Meanwhile, prosecutors also pointed to Burke’s online order receipts under a fake name that showed she had purchased a chainsaw, a shovel and an inflatable pool.
According to prosecutors, he allegedly used objects to dismember her body in his garage, where DNA matching the victim’s was found on blood stains.
Prosecutors said he also purchased a portable “burn box” incinerator that was too small to dispose of his body.
Burke reportedly drove around with Rivas Hernandez’s dismembered body in his trunk for several weeks before the abandoned Tesla was eventually towed to an impound lot in Hollywood.
Prosecutors reject accident claims
Prosecutor Beth Silverman told the court that “there is nothing in this case that looks like an accident.”
Burke’s lawyer, meanwhile, said, “There is no evidence of deliberate intent to commit murder.”
Performing as D4vd, Burke gained a massive following on social media such as TikTok and SoundCloud in 2022 with his breakthrough track “Romantic Homicide”.
In April 2025, he performed at the Coachella Music Festival and released his debut album “Withered”, two days after authorities said Rivas Hernandez was murdered.
Edited by: Rana Taha
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