D4vd Ordered to Stand Trial for Alleged Murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez

A Los Angeles judge has ruled that the case against musician D4vd will proceed to trial, finding sufficient evidence to support charges that the singer killed and dismembered 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo issued the decision Monday after determining prosecutors had cleared the "probable cause" threshold required at this stage of the proceedings, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. That standard is considerably lower than what prosecutors will eventually need to secure a conviction, which requires convincing a jury of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The ruling capped a five-day preliminary hearing during which prosecutors laid out their theory of the case against the 21-year-old artist, born David Anthony Burke. According to that theory, D4vd killed Rivas in April 2025 after she threatened to go public with claims that the two had been involved in an illegal sexual relationship, a revelation prosecutors argue would have derailed his rising music career.

Investigators allege that after the killing, D4vd used a chainsaw to dismember her body. Her remains were ultimately found stuffed in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to the singer.

The preliminary hearing included graphic evidence, among it photographs of Rivas' partially decomposed remains and testimony from a medical examiner who walked the court through the physical evidence. Text messages exchanged between D4vd and Rivas were also introduced, and those messages reportedly disclosed that Rivas had undergone an abortion at age 13.

Separately, an executive from Interscope Records testified about D4vd's earnings, telling the court he had made millions of dollars from his music. Prosecutors pointed to that testimony as evidence supporting their motive theory, arguing D4vd had significant financial and career incentive to prevent the relationship from becoming public.

The case became public last September, when Rivas' dismembered body was discovered after D4vd's abandoned Tesla was towed to a lot in Hollywood. What followed was a months-long investigation that led to the singer's arrest this past April, when he was charged with first-degree murder, child sexual abuse, and mutilating a body.

D4vd has pleaded not guilty across all counts. His defense attorneys said following his arrest that they intend to mount a vigorous defense, maintaining in a statement that the evidence would ultimately show Burke was not responsible for Rivas' death.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse Monday afternoon, Hochman said his office is prepared to proceed to trial whenever the defense is ready. He also confirmed prosecutors are still deciding whether to pursue the death penalty in the case.

In a written statement issued after the hearing, Hochman was blunt about the weight of the evidence presented so far, describing it as only a partial picture of what investigators have gathered. "What was presented by our office over the course of the last week is a small but illustrative fraction of the evidence investigators have accumulated that proves defendant Burke is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the brutal murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez," he said.

Hochman went on to describe the case as a devastating experience for Rivas' family, saying they've had to absorb graphic details about how their daughter was killed and disposed of. He argued that D4vd threw away his career and public standing by allegedly murdering a young girl out of fear that their relationship would become public, adding that the singer's stage name will now be permanently associated with the killing rather than his music.

No trial date has been scheduled yet. D4vd's next court appearance is set for Aug. 31, when he is expected to be arraigned.