Murder suspect d4vd’s preliminary hearing underway as prosecutors detail 14-year-old girl’s death

Murder suspect d4vd s preliminary hearing begins Sandego.net – Prosecutors have presented compelling evidence during the murder suspect d4vd s

Murder suspect d4vd s preliminary hearing begins

Sandego.net – Prosecutors have presented compelling evidence during the murder suspect d4vd s preliminary hearing, outlining how they believe the 21-year-old musician killed and dismembered 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The case gained widespread attention when the girl’s decomposed remains were found inside the singer’s abandoned car ten months ago. David Anthony Burke, known professionally as d4vd, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under fourteen, and mutilating human remains.

How the Relationship Developed

The murder suspect d4vd s preliminary hearing started Tuesday in Los Angeles and will continue over several days as a judge determines if there is enough evidence for a trial. Court records show that d4vd and Celeste first met in 2022 when she was eleven years old. Prosecutors claim their relationship became romantic in November 2023, when d4vd was eighteen and Celeste was thirteen years old.

That same month, the musician performed his hit song “Romantic Homicide” on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Celeste remained part of Burke’s social circle even after her first disappearance was reported in February 2024, according to CNN’s investigation.

Warning Signs Before Her Death

In January 2024, Celeste joined d4vd for a Twitch livestream that lasted until about 3 a.m. During the broadcast, the singer jokingly told viewers to “Delete everything.”

“There’s been talk” that d4vd possibly had something to do with it. If there was any truth to that, the person wrote, “Please do the right thing and take her home. Her parents are very worried.”

Photos from between January and March 2024 showed d4vd leaving a black Tesla near Celeste’s Lake Elsinore, California home. A local teen posted these images on TikTok, and CNN verified the timing and location of the photographs.

Celeste was reported missing three times in early 2024. The first report came in mid-February when she was thirteen, with flyers stating she was last seen around February 14. An email was then sent to an address linked to d4vd’s name on his record company’s website, expressing concern for Celeste’s wellbeing.

What Happened Next

Celeste returned home shortly after that email was sent, according to a family friend. She was reported missing again on March 19, 2024, and a final report was filed on April 5, 2024, by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.

While the exact date of Celeste’s death is unknown, photos suggest she was alive nearly a year after her first disappearance. Court documents state she was fourteen when she died. In June 2024, Celeste was photographed backstage at a sold-out d4vd concert at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles.

After Celeste’s body was identified in September 2025, Steve Fischer, the property owner who hired a private investigator, found a digital camera inside d4vd’s rented home. The investigator discovered photos of Celeste and d4vd taken in late December 2024 and early January 2025. During this time, d4vd posted several images from the camera on his X account, captioning them “took these pics” with a selfie showing him wearing the same camera model.

Prosecutors allege that d4vd and Celeste had a heated argument after the teenager became upset about the musician’s relationships with other women. Text messages from that night show Celeste “threatened to disclose damaging information about her relationship” with d4vd, who was twenty years old at the time. Prosecutors believe this confrontation led to Celeste’s death, with d4vd dismembering her body to prevent her from revealing details about their relationship to others.