Prosecutors say D4vd killed to protect $7.2m music deal
A Los Angeles court heard forensic and financial evidence on Wednesday suggesting singer D4vd murdered a 14-year-old girl to prevent her from exposing their relationship and destroying his multimillion-dollar career.
David Anthony Burke, the 21-year-old musician known as D4vd, faces a probable cause hearing this week to determine if he will stand trial for the murder and sexual abuse of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Prosecutors allege the Houston-raised artist stabbed the teenager to death at his Hollywood Hills home and severely mutilated her remains to conceal the crime.
The financial stakes of Burke’s skyrocketing career took center stage on the hearing’s second day. An executive from Interscope, Burke’s former label, testified that the singer had a multimillion-dollar recording deal. Between 2022 and 2025, the label paid Burke and his affiliated entities more than $7.2m, a sum that included legal fees and a trust mandated by California law for underage entertainers. Interscope terminated his contract in December 2025.
Prosecutors argued this wealth provided a clear motive for murder, claiming Burke wanted to silence Rivas Hernandez from divulging the sexual nature of their relationship. The court heard arguments over whether Burke was aware of his own finances, including arrangements he allegedly made for the victim to travel to London and Texas.
Forensic testimony detailed the grim scene at Burke’s former residence. Criminalist Lauren Wallace told the court that rubber mats covering a garage floor likely contained bloodstains and bore linear cuts consistent with a sharp object. An inflatable pool on the property appeared to have been cut, Wallace said, though two chainsaws found in the garage tested negative for blood.
Another criminalist, Chelsea Murillo, described the condition of the black Tesla Model X where Rivas Hernandez’s remains were discovered last year. The vehicle’s exterior was coated in dust, suggesting it had been parked outside for a prolonged period. Murillo noted a strong odor of decomposition, the presence of maggots and flies in the front trunk, and possible blood traces in the third row.
Defense attorney Blair Berk challenged the reliability of the forensic testing. “It’s ‘only presumptive. It doesn’t mean you found blood,’” Berk asked during cross-examination. “Yes,” Murillo replied.
The court also heard that a Caltrans employee discovered the victim’s passport in January 2026 on a dirt embankment off State Route 154 in Santa Barbara. “Once he found the card, he Googled the name to try and see if it was someone that lived locally in the area. He began seeing articles and news stories and when he realized what he had found, he called our dispatch,” California highway patrol officer Sean Buenrostro testified.
Burke has pleaded not guilty to charges including first-degree murder and lewd acts with a child under 14. He faces the possibility of the death penalty or life in prison without parole. Outside the courthouse, Patrick Steinfeld, an attorney for the victim’s family, said: “They have a hole in their heart that will never be replaced.”
