D4vd Ordered To Stand Trial In Murder Of Celeste Rivas Hernandez

Weeks of testimony, forensic evidence, increasingly disturbing revelations, and controversial text messages have pushed the criminal case against D4vd into its next phase. A Los Angeles County judge ruled Monday that prosecutors presented enough evidence for the singer, born David Anthony Burke, to stand trial on charges stemming from the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Judge Charlaine Olmedo ordered Burke to answer charges of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child, and mutilation of a corpse after a multi-day preliminary hearing that examined the prosecution's evidence in detail. According to the L.A. Times, she also upheld three special circumstance allegations, including claims that the killing was committed while concealing another crime and was carried out by means of lying in wait. If Burke is convicted and those allegations are ultimately proven, he could face life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Prosecutors have not yet announced whether they intend to seek capital punishment.

The ruling follows several days of testimony outlining prosecutors' theory that Burke killed Hernandez inside his Hollywood home in April 2025 after their relationship deteriorated. During Monday's hearing, attorneys introduced text messages exchanged in the day before her death that showed the pair engaged in an increasingly hostile argument. Prosecutors contend the messages help establish a motive, alleging Hernandez threatened to expose Burke and damage both his personal life and music career just days before the scheduled release of his debut album.

Investigators also testified that Burke continued sending text messages to Hernandez's phone after prosecutors believe she had already arrived at his residence. They argued the communications were intended to make it appear she had never been there. Phone records presented in court allegedly showed some of those messages were sent while Burke was driving toward Santa Barbara County, where investigators later recovered Hernandez's passport card.

Burke's legal team urged the court to dismiss the murder charge, staing that prosecutors failed to establish probable cause for a premeditated killing. Defense attorney Blair Berk also emphasized that investigators have not identified an eyewitness to the killing or anyone who can account for what occurred during the roughly 20-minute period prosecutors believe Hernandez was attacked. Burke has pleaded not guilty to every charge.

The preliminary hearing also revisited allegations that prosecutors say began long before Hernandez's death. They allege Burke engaged in a sexual relationship with the teenager for nearly two years while she was underage, characterizing the conduct as grooming. Defense attorneys argued Burke initially believed Hernandez was older when they met. However, prosecutors responded that law enforcement later informed him she was a minor and noted that California law does not recognize mistaken age as a defense to child sexual abuse charges.