Judge hearing evidence against singer D4vd in killing, dismemberment of teen; will decide on trial

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors connected Tuesday showed a assemblage camera video with vocalist D4vd telling sheriff's deputies who were investigating a missing person's study that helium had lone met then-13-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez erstwhile successful person, and helium did not cognize she was a minor.

“She told maine she was 18,” the vocalist said successful the video from February 2024. “Everybody’s telling maine she was 13.”

Prosecutors allege that D4vd, whose ineligible sanction is David Burke, who was 18 astatine the time, had already been having a intersexual narration with the miss for respective months, and that 14 months later, helium stabbed her to decease aft she threatened to exposure the narration and ruin his career.

The video was shown connected the archetypal time of a proceeding successful Los Angeles County tribunal to find whether determination is capable grounds to enactment Burke, present 21, connected proceedings connected charges of murder, continuous intersexual maltreatment of a kid nether the property of 14 and unlawful mutilation of quality remains. He has pleaded not blameworthy and his lawyer has said helium did not origin the girl's death.

Prosecutors besides showed photos of the dismembered and decomposing assemblage of Rivas Hernandez, which had been recovered connected Sept. 8, 2025 by a homicide detective successful the beforehand trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke astatine a Hollywood tow yard.

Det. Joshua Byers of the Los Angeles Police Department testified that helium recovered the caput and torso successful a assemblage bag, and arms and legs successful a garbage container underneath it. He said 2 fingers were missing from a hand.

Rivas Hernandez's parents were successful tribunal on with dozens of reporters and members of the nationalist who got their seats done a lottery drawing.

LA County Sheriff's Deputy Juan Gonzalez, whose assemblage camera video was shown, testified that Burke had been highly cooperative erstwhile helium visited successful 2024 to look into the missing person's study from the sheriff's section successful Riverside County, wherever Rivas Hernandez lived.

Burke allowed Gonzalez to hunt the house, which was owned by Interscope Records for its artists to enactment at, and Gonzalez and his spouse recovered nary signs that Rivas Hernandez oregon immoderate miss had been there.

The temper was affable and jovial among the three, and 1 of the deputies says “Ohhh, that’s beauteous cool, bully for you,” erstwhile Burke described his euphony career.

Burke said helium had met Rivas Hernandez online connected Instagram and Discord successful 2020 oregon 2021, had seen her erstwhile successful idiosyncratic a fewer months earlier and had past communicated with her a fewer days earlier. He shared Rivas Hernandez's telephone fig with them and showed them photos from his telephone of a yearbook representation of her and a missing persons flyer from Instagram.

The proceeding volition lucifer a mini trial

The preliminary proceeding is expected to past astir 4 days and lucifer an abbreviated trial. There is nary jury. Judge Charlaine Olmedo volition determine whether the prosecution offered capable grounds to show probable origin to proceed to trial.

The defendant, who has been held without bail successful a jailhouse adjacent the courthouse since his arrest, appeared successful tribunal successful his jailhouse clothes. The justice ruled that his hands could beryllium uncuffed, but helium indispensable stay shackled to his chair. No cameras are allowed successful the courtroom.

The suspect and the unfortunate had known each different respective years

The filing said Burke met Rivas Hernandez erstwhile she was 11, began sexually abusing her erstwhile she was 13 and helium was 18, and killed her erstwhile she threatened to study him.

She was reported missing aggregate times successful the years earlier her death, and prosecutors said they person grounds she was with Burke for agelong stretches, including a travel to Texas wherever she met his family. Prosecutors said they person intersexual substance messages and photos the 2 exchanged.

A tribunal filing said helium sent a car to prime her up connected the nighttime of April 23, 2025, from her hometown of Lake Elsinore, California, immoderate 80 miles (129 km) extracurricular of Los Angeles. The 2 exchanged messages until she arrived astatine his Hollywood home, aft which her telephone went dead.

“Knowing helium had to soundlessness the unfortunate earlier she ruined his euphony vocation arsenic she had threatened, precise soon aft her accomplishment astatine his home, suspect stabbed the unfortunate to decease aggregate times and stood by portion she bled out,” the papers said.

Prosecutors accidental they person grounds linking Burke to girl's death

Prosecutors said they person records showing Burke ordered concatenation saws and wading pools that helium utilized to dismember her assemblage successful his garage, and that her DNA was recovered determination connected humor stains discovered erstwhile constabulary served a hunt warrant.

Prosecutors said the car was parked astir the country from his house, and surveillance video volition amusement helium was the past idiosyncratic to thrust it.

It's not wholly wide wherefore it took 7 much months to apprehension Burke — though uncooperative witnesses had to beryllium subpoenaed and the last autopsy study showing she was stabbed was not released until December.

The defence has not publically provided its mentation of events.

Preliminary hearings similar this 1 service a akin relation to that of expansive assemblage proceedings. Prosecutors mostly contiguous lone arsenic overmuch grounds arsenic they deliberation they request to, and witnesses are kept to a minimum — mostly constabulary and different investigators. For defence attorneys, it tin supply ways to research imaginable weaknesses successful witnesser grounds that they tin exploit astatine a trial.

D4vd had budding euphony career

D4vd began making euphony for YouTube videos helium created of the video crippled Fortnite erstwhile helium was a teenager.

The songs helium wrote and recorded connected his telephone were a blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. The euphony made him a improvement connected TikTok, Instagram, Soundcloud and Spotify, wherever his apical songs, including his 2022 breakthrough “Romantic Homicide,” person much than a cardinal plays. In 2023, helium released 2 EPs and opened for SZA connected tour.

He performed astatine past year's Coachella euphony festival conscionable a fewer weeks earlier prosecutors said Rivas Hernandez was killed, and his medium was released. Five months later, helium was connected circuit promoting it erstwhile the assemblage was discovered.

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