The mother of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a 14-year-old whose remains were discovered dismembered inside singer D4vd's Tesla, became visibly distressed during a court hearing on Thursday. The singer, whose real name is David Burke, is charged with first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains in connection with Hernandez's death.
During the preliminary hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence for a trial, Hernandez's mother wept and required tissues as a Los Angeles police criminalist presented testimony. A criminalist testified that DNA evidence found in the garage of Burke's Hollywood home strongly matched the young girl. Hernandez's parents left the hearing before the Los Angeles Medical Examiner began their testimony.
Burke, 21, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His attorneys have stated they will vigorously defend him. Throughout the proceedings, Burke has maintained a stone-faced demeanor, occasionally smiling, nodding, and speaking with his legal counsel, Marilyn Bednarski and Blair Berk, according to reports.
Prosecutors allege Burke stabbed Hernandez to death and then dismembered her in his garage. They claim the motive was Hernandez's threat to expose their alleged sexual relationship and ruin his career. Evidence presented included disturbing images of the victim's head and torso in a body bag in the Tesla's trunk, with severed limbs in a garbage bag beneath it. The remains were found in the car on September 8, approximately four and a half months after her death.
Forensic testing of blood stains found on a floor mat, rowing machine, and Tesla charger in Burke's garage revealed DNA that was "one septillion times more likely to occur if it originated from Celeste rather than anyone else in the population," testified criminalist Samantha Tosch. DNA testing was also conducted on a trash bag and cleaning wipes from the garage. The bag's swab contained a mixture of DNA from four individuals, at least two of whom were male, including Burke's. Hernandez's DNA was found on the wipes, but Burke's was not. Tosch conceded under cross-examination that she could not definitively state the DNA profiles came from blood, noting it could be from touch transfer, and that the age of the DNA could not be determined.
Burke's defense attorneys questioned the methodology used by the Los Angeles Police Department, suggesting the software calculated the likelihood of Burke's DNA being present in the mixture rather than definitively confirming it. Tosch agreed this was a "fair" assessment but maintained her professional opinion that Burke's DNA was present on the outer trash bag.
Lawyers for Burke also focused on chain saws found in the garage. Another LAPD criminalist, Lauren Wallace, testified that initial tests showed no blood on the saws, and therefore the handles were not swabbed for DNA. Berk argued that touch DNA could still be present and not visible to the naked eye, a point Wallace acknowledged.
Prosecutors claim Burke began a relationship with Hernandez when she was 13 and he was 18. Hernandez's mother reported her daughter missing in 2023, stating she was dating someone named David. Burke told authorities he believed Hernandez was 18, as she had told him so. He allegedly provided her phone number and photos from his phone to deputies. After her family took her phone, prosecutors say Burke continued to pursue her, even paying a classmate to get her a new phone. Court documents allege Hernandez spent significant time with Burke throughout 2024, including travel and stays at his home. Text messages between them reportedly reference sex, pregnancy, and abortion. The prosecution alleges they broke up multiple times, with Hernandez becoming jealous and threatening to reveal damaging information about their relationship to end his career around the time he was set to release his first solo album.