Murder suspect d4vd’s court hearing starts today as prosecutors lay out grisly details about a 14-year-old girl’s death

d4vd Court Hearing: Murder Suspect’s Case Begins

Prosecutors Unveil Evidence in Celeste Rivas Hernandez Death

Goldlaner.com – The murder suspect d4vd s court hearing officially began Tuesday in Los Angeles, bringing renewed scrutiny to the tragic case of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Prosecutors have outlined compelling evidence that the 21-year-old musician killed and dismembered the teenager to silence her about their relationship. David Anthony Burke, known professionally as d4vd, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under fourteen, and mutilating human remains.

Judges will now determine if there is enough proof to move forward with a full trial. The proceedings are expected to last several days as attorneys from both sides present their arguments. This legal milestone comes ten months after investigators found heavily decomposed remains inside d4vd’s abandoned car, which they believe belonged to the missing girl.

How the Relationship Unfolded

Prosecution records show that d4vd first met Celeste in 2022 when she was just eleven years old. Their bond grew stronger in November 2023, when prosecutors claim a sexual relationship started between the eighteen-year-old singer and the thirteen-year-old girl. That same month, d4vd performed his hit song “Romantic Homicide” on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” which boosted his public profile significantly.

A CNN investigation found that Celeste regularly appeared in Burke’s social circle both before and after her first missing-person report in February 2024. Video from Twitch in January 2024 captured the two interacting during a livestream, chatting and laughing until around 3 a.m. When the stream ended, d4vd reportedly said, “Delete everything.”

Photos taken between January and March 2024 show d4vd leaving a black Tesla near Celeste’s Lake Elsinore, California home. A local teen shared these images on TikTok, and CNN used geolocation and chronolocation methods to verify when and where the pictures were taken.

The Search for Celeste

Celeste was reported missing three times in early 2024 as her family grew increasingly worried. The first report came in mid-February 2024 when she was thirteen, with flyers noting she was last seen around February 14. Soon after, someone concerned about her sent an email to d4vd’s record company, mentioning rumors linking the singer to Celeste’s disappearance and asking him to make sure she was safe.

Celeste reportedly went back home within days of receiving that email, according to a family friend. The second missing-person report was filed around March 19, 2024, and the third and final one came on April 5, 2024, based on Riverside County Sheriff’s Office documentation.

While the exact date of Celeste’s death is still unknown, photos indicate she was alive nearly a year after her first missing-person report. Court papers confirm she was fourteen when she died. In June 2024, she was photographed backstage at a sold-out show at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles.

New evidence surfaced in September 2025 when Celeste’s body was positively identified. Steve Fischer, a private investigator working for the property owner, found a digital camera inside d4vd’s rented house containing pictures of both Celeste and the musician from late December 2024 and early January 2025. During that time, d4vd posted several images from the camera on his X account with the caption “took these pics,” along with a selfie showing him wearing a camera of the same model.

Prosecutors claim that d4vd had an argument with Celeste after the teenager became upset about his relationships with other women. Text messages from that evening showed Celeste “threatened to disclose damaging information about her relationship” with d4vd, then twenty years old, which would “end his career and destroy his life.”

“Text messages from that night show Celeste ‘threatened to disclose damaging information about her relationship’ with d4vd, then 20, that would ‘end his career and destroy his life.'” — Prosecution evidence

The murder suspect d4vd s court hearing continues as prosecutors present their case, with the results potentially deciding whether the matter goes to trial. The investigation remains active as authorities collect more evidence to support their claims against the musician.