The family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a 14-year-old girl allegedly murdered and dismembered by indie-pop singer D4vd, wants prosecutors to seek the death penalty. The case against David Anthony Burke, 20, now moves toward a full trial after a Los Angeles judge found overwhelming probable cause on every charge.
Burke faces counts of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. If convicted with the special circumstances prosecutors have alleged, he could face execution or life in prison without parole. He has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors allege Burke first met Celeste when she was just 11 years old. Fox News reported that the sexual abuse allegedly began in November 2023, when Celeste was 13 and Burke was 18. Over the following year, Burke allegedly flew the girl to Las Vegas, London, and Texas, and introduced her to his family in 2024.
The relationship fractured in November 2024, just two days before Burke's debut album was set to drop. Celeste threatened to go public. Text messages presented at the preliminary hearing captured the escalation in stark terms.
On April 22, 2025, the day before prosecutors say she was killed, Celeste sent Burke a barrage of texts. The New York Post reported the messages included explicit threats:
"I will kill you, I will f*** kill you. She was in my seat. I will strangle you to death. I will end your career and life."
Prosecutors argue those texts sealed Celeste's fate. Their theory: Burke killed her to protect his rising music career and silence a witness to years of sexual abuse.
The state's case lays out a grim sequence. Prosecutors allege Burke arranged an Uber to bring Celeste to his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025. Once there, they say he stabbed her to death, then dismembered her body in a kiddie pool using a chainsaw.
Receipts recovered during the investigation show purchases of two chainsaws and a body bag. Blood found in Burke's garage tested positive as a match to Celeste, and fragments of the kiddie pool were found on her remains.
For months, no one found the body. Celeste's decomposed remains were discovered in September 2025 inside an impounded Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard. Newsmax reported that a tow yard manager noticed flies and a pungent odor coming from the vehicle, prompting the discovery.
At the preliminary hearing, LAPD Detective Joshua Byers took the stand and described what investigators found inside the Tesla. His testimony was blunt:
"There were maggots. There were flies. I don't know how to describe the other liquid matter."
Celeste's parents stayed in the courtroom through the graphic testimony. Patrick Steinfeld, an attorney representing the Rivas family, spoke outside the courthouse about the toll it took.
"They wanted to show strength and they're here for Celeste, but it was extremely bad."
Burke, seated in the courtroom, reportedly showed no emotion as the detective recounted the condition of the remains.
Judge Charlaine Olmedo ruled there was sufficient evidence to send Burke to trial on all charges. The court also found probable cause for special circumstances that make the case death-penalty eligible: lying in wait, killing for financial gain, and killing a potential witness.
Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman did not hold back after the ruling, as AP News reported:
"Based on the mountains of evidence presented, all of the allegations have been proved way beyond the standard required."
The prosecution's evidence package spans text messages documenting the sexual relationship and threats, surveillance footage of Burke driving the Tesla, the chainsaw and body bag receipts, and forensic bloodstain analysis linking Burke to the killing.
The DA's office has not yet made a final decision on whether to formally seek the death penalty. The Rivas family has made clear they want the ultimate punishment pursued.
The Hernandez family released a statement that cut through the legal proceedings with raw loss:
"Celeste was a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance... We miss her deeply. All we want is justice for Celeste."
Celeste was 14 when she died. Prosecutors allege she had been sexually abused for over a year before her killing. Evidence presented at the hearing also referenced an alleged prior pregnancy, though the full details of that claim were part of the graphic autopsy findings discussed in court.
The family, as the Daily Mail reported, supports the death penalty for Burke. Their presence in the courtroom through days of disturbing testimony underscored how personal the fight for accountability has become.
Burke's legal defense has already hit turbulence. His original team of prominent private attorneys, Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter, withdrew from the case. Breitbart reported that despite earning at least $10 million through his music from 2023 through 2025, Burke qualified for a Los Angeles County Public Defender.
Deputy Public Defender Walid Kandeel now represents Burke. Kandeel issued a measured statement upon taking the case:
"We recognize the loss of life underlying the allegations and extend our sympathies to those who are grieving. At the same time, David Burke is entitled to a defense that takes his circumstances seriously and carefully examines the evidence."
The outgoing defense team said only that they "continue to support David and his defense against these serious charges." Before their withdrawal, the defense had issued a broader statement to People magazine insisting Burke was innocent:
"Let us be clear, the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez, and he was not the cause of her death."
How a musician who earned eight figures qualifies for a taxpayer-funded attorney remains unexplained. No trial date has been set. A status conference is scheduled for October.
One detail from before the arrest has taken on a darker cast. In a prior interview, Burke was asked whether he was "manifesting" tragic relationship endings to inspire his music. His response:
"I really hope I'm not because it feels that way."
Investigators have not publicly stated whether that interview factored into the investigation. But in the context of the charges now filed, the remark has drawn renewed scrutiny.
Burke entered a new not guilty plea after his defense team changed. The case now moves toward trial, though no date is on the calendar. Prosecutors must still decide formally whether to seek the death penalty, a decision the Rivas family is pressing them to make.
Investigators will need to address several open questions before trial. Authorities have not publicly confirmed the full timeline of Burke's movements after April 23, 2025, or how long Celeste's remains sat in the Tesla before it was towed. The circumstances under which Burke's private attorneys withdrew, and how he qualified for a public defender despite his earnings, also remain unaddressed.
The special circumstances finding by Judge Olmedo gives prosecutors the legal foundation to pursue death. Whether they pull that trigger will shape the trajectory of one of the most disturbing criminal cases to emerge from the entertainment world in years.
A 14-year-old girl threatened to tell the truth. Prosecutors say that truth cost her everything. Now the system that failed to protect Celeste Rivas Hernandez will decide whether her alleged killer pays with his life.
