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

Murder Suspect d4vd s Preliminary Hearing: Key Details Emerge

Activelifezero.com – Murder suspect d4vd s preliminary hearing is now underway in Los Angeles, with prosecutors presenting a detailed account of how the 21-year-old musician allegedly killed and dismembered 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The case centers on claims that Burke, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, acted to prevent the teenager from revealing information about their relationship. He has entered not guilty pleas to first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and mutilating human remains.

Timeline of d4vd and Celeste’s Relationship

The investigation reveals a complex history between the singer and the victim. According to court documents, d4vd first encountered Celeste in 2022 when she was just 11 years old. Prosecutors allege that a sexual relationship began in November 2023, when d4vd was 18 and Celeste was 13. This period coincided with the singer’s rising fame, including a performance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” where he played his hit song “Romantic Homicide.”

Celeste’s presence in d4vd’s life extended well beyond their personal connection. A CNN investigation discovered that the teenager repeatedly appeared in the musician’s orbit before and after her first disappearance report in February 2024. In January 2024, she was captured in a livestream video on Twitch alongside the singer, where they joked and bantered until approximately 3 a.m. before d4vd reportedly said, “Delete everything.”

Additional evidence emerged through photographs geolocated by CNN. Between January and March 2024, d4vd was photographed exiting a black Tesla near Celeste’s Lake Elsinore, California home. A local teenager later shared these images on TikTok, providing investigators with visual documentation of their connection during this period.

Missing Reports and Final Days

Celeste was reported missing three times in early 2024, each time raising concerns among family and friends. The first report came in mid-February 2024 when she was 13 years old, with posters indicating she was last seen around February 14. Shortly after, someone sent an email to an address associated with d4vd’s record company, referencing Celeste’s disappearance and suggesting the singer might be involved.

“If there was any truth to that, the person wrote, ‘Please do the right thing and take her home. Her parents are very worried.'”

Celeste returned home within days of this email being sent, according to a family acquaintance. She was reported missing again on or about March 19, followed by a third and final report on April 5, as documented by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.

While the exact date of Celeste’s death remains unclear, photographs suggest she was alive nearly a year after her first missing person report. Court documents indicate she was 14 years old when she died, though she would have turned 15 shortly after her death. In June 2024, Celeste was photographed backstage at a sold-out d4vd performance at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles.

Investigators discovered crucial evidence in d4vd’s rented home after Celeste’s body was identified in September 2025. A private investigator working for property owner Steve Fischer found a digital camera containing photographs of Celeste and d4vd from late December 2024 and early January 2025. During this timeframe, d4vd shared images from the camera’s memory card on his X account, captioned “took these pics,” alongside a selfie showing him wearing a camera of the same model.

Prosecutors allege that d4vd and Celeste had a heated argument after the teenager became distressed about his relationships with other women. Text messages from that evening reveal Celeste “threatened to disclose damaging information about her relationship” with the then-20-year-old musician, information that would “end his career and destroy his life.” Authorities believe this confrontation marked the night Celeste was killed.

The following day, d4vd hosted an album release party before embarking on an international tour. Celeste’s dismembered and decomposing body was discovered in the front trunk of a Tesla at a police impound yard, just a day after she would have turned 15. The vehicle, registered to d4vd, had been abandoned on a street near his Hollywood Hills residence.