Crime & justice

Judge Rules D4vd to Stand Trial

Is D4vd a calculated killer or is this case a symptom of larger systemic failures?

JUL 28·Updated JUL 29

Story

Above: David Anthony Burke (D4vd) during his arraignment at court in Los Angeles, Calif., on April 20. Image credit: Ted Soqui/Pool/Getty Images

The Facts

A Los Angeles judge ruled Monday that singer David Anthony Burke, known as D4vd, will stand trial for the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The judge found prosecutors had established probable cause on all charges after a five-day preliminary hearing.
Belfast Telegraph
Reuters
Burke, 21, faces charges of first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. The special circumstances allegations — including murder for financial gain and lying in wait — could give him the death penalty.
FOX 11 Los Angeles
BBC News
Prosecutors allege Burke stabbed Rivas Hernandez within a 21-minute window after she arrived at his Hollywood Hills home via an Uber he had arranged on April 23, 2025. Her final text, sent at 10:02 p.m., read: "girly pop i'm almost there open ur door if ur home."
Daily Mail
CNN
FOX 11 Los Angeles
The decomposing remains of Rivas Hernandez were found in September 2025 inside two bags in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke at a Hollywood tow yard. Evidence included DNA matching the victim found in Burke's garage and fragments of a blue inflatable pool embedded in her severed limbs.
FOX 11 Los Angeles
Reuters
Financial records presented at the hearing showed Burke had earned $10 million to $11 million between 2023 and 2025 following a deal with Interscope Records. Prosecutors allege he killed Rivas Hernandez after she threatened to expose their relationship and destroy his music career.
The Daily Telegraph
Reuters
Burke pleaded not guilty at his April 20 arraignment, and his defense attorneys argued the evidence was insufficient to support a murder charge. An arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 31, with a trial set to begin within 90 days of that date.
BBC News
Daily Mail
Reuters

Sources Split

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CENTER

RIGHT

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CRIT

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ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

The evidence against D4vd is damning — cell records, DNA, dismemberment tools and a timeline that goes silent the moment Celeste arrived at his door, making the judge's decision on the prosecutorial burden easy. With all that's been shown so far, the DA says it's only a fraction of what's coming at trial. This wasn't a tragic accident, but a calculated killing by an adult who groomed a child to protect a multimillion-dollar career.

Daily Mail

CNN

Narrative B

This case exposes how institutions fail children long before a murder charge gets filed. Deputies documented Burke's relationship with a 14-year-old and walked away, just like Ohio signed a marriage license for a pregnant teen and called it done. Fame creates a buffer that bends accountability, and fans are already recasting Celeste as a problem rather than a victim. The real question isn't just what Burke allegedly did, but who else looked the other way?

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