David Anthony Burke, the musician known as D4vd, remained impassive as photographs of the remains of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old found last year in the front trunk of his Tesla, were shown in a Los Angeles court.
In the preliminary hearing of the murder trial, photos were seen of the young woman's dismembered body placed in two black plastic bags: one containing the torso without limbs, the other arms and legs. Among the images exhibited also a close-up of the right knee, on which the prosecution claims are visible fragments of blue plastic from an inflatable pool that Burke would have used to collect blood during the dismemberment of the body. Another photograph showed the victim's left hand, with the ring and little fingers amputated. Of further interest for the trial is the photo of the girl's tattoo with the writing “Shhh…” on her right index finger, a tattoo identical to that of D4vd.
Burke is accused of killing the girl to cover up the sexual abuse against him. According to the accusation, the musician lured Rivas to his home by making her take an Uber, and then stabbed her to death on April 23, 2025. He then left for a promotional tour in several American states and, once he returned to Los Angeles, dismembered the girl's body, hiding the remains in his car. The policeman who found the body, Joshua Byers, said: «It was in an advanced state of decomposition. The peeling of the skin made him unrecognizable.” The girl's parents were also present in the courtroom, visibly agitated.
In addition to these images, a 10-minute video taken by the bodycam of Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies during a visit to Burke a few days after the girl's disappearance was also shown in court. D4vd's name was found on the girl's phone.
In the video, the rapper says that he met Rivas on Discord and Instagram, but that he only met her once in November 2023. “He told me he was 18, but now everyone says he was 13”, Burke's comment. From his phone, the musician showed a yearbook photo of Celeste from sixth grade. “Didn't he look 13?” asked Byers. “No,” Burke replied. «Here he was 13 years old. He was in sixth grade, but they say this photo was taken last year.”
Officer Byers, called to testify, said that Burke bought the girl a disposable cell phone, also paying a schoolmate $1,000 to deliver it to him, after the victim's parents confiscated their daughter's phone. Investigators also allege the two traveled together to Texas and London.
Among the evidence presented in court is data from Burke's Tesla, which would place him last driving the car on July 29, 2025, before leaving for the tour. The 14-year-old's remains remained in the trunk of the car for weeks until they were found. A video taken from a neighbor's camera shows Burke who, after leaving his car in a parking lot outside his house, walks back to his home.
Prosecutors also say that in the days following the murder, Burke purchased chainsaws, an inflatable pool, a floor cleaning system and other materials on Amazon that would be used to dismember and conceal the body. According to investigators, the motive would be linked to the desire to prevent the girl from making their relationship public.
Some messages between the two were also revealed. «All we do is hang out and have sex. I want something more”, one of the messages that the victim allegedly sent to the musician.
According to the prosecution, the messages recovered between Burke and Rivas reveal conversations about sex, a possible pregnancy and an abortion. Prosecutors claim that the girl was jealous of the musician's other relationships and that the two had argued via text on April 22, 2025. The following evening Burke paid for an Uber to take her to his house, where – according to the investigators' reconstruction – he stabbed her to death shortly after her arrival, fearing that she would make their relationship public and damage his musical career.
