David Anthony Burke, the 21-year-old singer known as D4vd who is accused of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, received a third postponement of his probable cause hearing. The hearing was moved from June 29th to July 21st, 2026, after his defense requested additional preparation time.
Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo approved the delay and scheduled a status conference for July 7th. When the hearing does take place, it is expected to last several days with multiple witnesses, after which the judge will decide whether to proceed to trial.
Burke faces charges of first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. Prosecutors have also alleged special circumstances — murder of a witness, murder for financial gain, and lying in wait — which make him ineligible for bail.
According to an unsealed evidence brief, Burke met Rivas when she was 11 and allegedly began a sexual relationship when she was 13. Prosecutors claim he paid a classmate $1,000 to deliver her a secret phone and that text messages recovered between them reference sex, pregnancy, and abortion. Surveillance video allegedly shows Burke driving his Tesla on July 29th, 2025, before leaving for a concert tour. Rivas’ remains were later found in the trunk of said car on September 8th, 2025. Prosecutors say her body had been left to decompose inside the vehicle for weeks or possibly months while Burke lied to friends and associates about the smell of decay.
The night before she died, according to prosecutors, Rivas and Burke argued. He then allegedly paid an Uber driver to bring her from her family’s home more than an hour outside Los Angeles to his rental home in the Hollywood Hills. Prosecutors claim he killed her almost immediately — stabbing her multiple times — because she had threatened to go public with details of the alleged abuse. The brief states: “Knowing he had to silence the victim before she ruined his music career as she had threatened, very soon after her arrival at his home, defendant stabbed the victim to death multiple times and stood by while she bled out.” Blood evidence in his garage matched Rivas, with prosecutors also alleging he purchased tools under a fake name to dismember her body.
Burke pleaded not guilty during his appearance in court wearing an orange jail uniform and waist shackles.
Stay tuned to YEEEAAH! Network for more updates as they arrive.
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