Preliminary hearing set for singer D4vd in killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez - ABC7 Los Angeles

What the report says

KABC-TV reports that a preliminary hearing is scheduled this week in Los Angeles for singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, in connection with the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The hearing was set to begin Tuesday and is expected to run three to seven days. Prosecutors will outline evidence and call witnesses before a judge decides whether there is probable cause for the case to move toward trial.

Burke has pleaded not guilty to charges that include first-degree murder, sexual abuse of a child and unlawful mutilation of human remains, according to the station. Rivas Hernandez’s decomposing body was found last year in the front of Burke’s Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard. KABC-TV says prosecutors allege Burke and the teenager had a sexual relationship after meeting online, and that she was last seen alive on April 23, 2025, after an Uber allegedly took her to his Hollywood Hills home.

The station, citing court documents and prosecutors, reports that the evidence referenced includes surveillance video allegedly showing Burke as the last person to drive the Tesla, as well as text messages between Burke and Rivas Hernandez involving sex, pregnancy, abortion and emergency contraception. Prosecutors also allege Burke later ordered items including chainsaws, a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags and an inflatable pool that investigators say was used in connection with the dismemberment.

KABC-TV notes prosecutors have not decided whether to seek the death penalty. Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told the station that the preliminary-hearing standard is lower than proof beyond a reasonable doubt and said he expects law enforcement witnesses, including LAPD detectives, to summarize the evidence.