Murders and attempted murders

Possible Bloodstains Detected at Singer D4vd's Home

Is this murder backed by solid evidence or did police blunders create a case built on sloppy work?

Published JUL 23

Possible Bloodstains Detected at Singer D4vd's Home

Story

Above: A photo of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez is displayed in Los Angeles, Calif. on April 20. Image credit: David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News/Getty Images

The Facts

A two-day preliminary hearing is underway in Los Angeles to determine whether singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, should stand trial for the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Burke, 21, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, sexual abuse of a child and mutilation of human remains.
Guardian
Breitbart
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) criminalist Lauren Wallace testified that rubber floor mats in Burke's Hollywood Hills garage tested positive for possible blood using a chemical spray that caused the area to glow blue. Seven linear cuts consistent with a sharp object were also found on the mats, and two chainsaws recovered from the garage reportedly tested negative for blood.
BostonGlobe
TMZ
LAPD criminalist Chelsea Murillo testified that a layer of dust on Burke's black Tesla Model X suggested it had been stationary for an extended period, and that a strong odor consistent with decomposition was present despite multiple air fresheners inside the vehicle.
Los Angeles Magazine
Fox 8 Live
A California Highway Patrol officer testified that a Caltrans worker found Rivas Hernandez's passport in January 2026 in a dirt embankment in Santa Barbara County, roughly 95 miles (153 km) northwest of Burke's Hollywood home. Prosecutors allege Burke made two trips to the area after the killing.
Newser
US News & World Report
Financial testimony presented during the hearing indicated Burke earned between $10 million and $11.5 million in gross income from 2023 to 2025, including payments from Interscope Records. His label terminated his contract in December 2025, following his arrest.
Los Angeles Magazine
Boston Herald
Detective Joshua Byers testified that when he arrived at a Hollywood tow yard on Sept. 8, 2025, he found a body bag containing a head and torso in the Tesla's front trunk, along with garbage bags holding severed arms and legs. Records showed Burke had purchased the body bag on Amazon under an alias.
Newsweek
News Nation Now

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

D4vd is accused of murder and would have a potential motive to protect his millions from a rising music career. Blood stains and DNA in his garage match the victim, while air fresheners failed to hide the body smell in his Tesla. He will have a very uphill battle at trial.

TMZ

One America on X

Narrative B

This trial may be more complex. There is evidence that police botched the evidence by skipping DNA tests on chainsaws that tested clean for blood. The burn cage went unexamined, and the body bag got tossed without full checks. These gaps show that the case rests on sloppy work, which may fail to prove guilt.

Los Angeles Magazine