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The California singer accused of grooming a 14-year-old girl only to murder her when she threatened to expose him and then dismembering her remains with a chainsaw appeared in front of a Los Angeles judge Tuesday for the first day of a preliminary hearing expected to clear the way for the case to go to trial.
David Burke, who performs under the name “D4vd,” is accused of killing a teen girl named Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose unrecognizable remains prosecutors say were found chopped up and decomposing in the trunk of his Tesla, abandoned 400 feet up the street from his home in Hollywood Hills. Two of her fingers, which contained identifying tattoos, were never recovered.
Burke faces charges of murder, child sex abuse and unlawful mutilation of human remains.
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Prior to the hearing, which is expected to take about three to five days, Celeste’s parents, Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, were spotted entering the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
There were no cameras allowed in the courtroom Tuesday as prosecutors displayed gruesome images and shared brutal details with the court.
A Los Angeles homicide detective took the stand to discuss the grisly scene, with Celeste’s parents opting to remain in the gallery when given a chance to leave before his testimony, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.
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“There were maggots,” LAPD Detective Joshua Byers testified, according to the California Post. “There were flies. I don’t know how to describe the other liquid matter.”
Martinez looked like she might faint as a supporter leaned over to help her, according to the FOX LA report. Burke, shackled to a chair, reportedly showed no visible reaction.
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Prosecutors allege that Burke first met Celeste when she was 11 and began molesting her in November 2023, when she was 13 and he was 18.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman told reporters outside the courthouse that a decision on whether to seek the death penalty has not yet been made.
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The charges against Burke are death penalty eligible. If prosecutors don’t seek capital punishment, which is under a moratorium in California, Burke would face a maximum sentence of life without parole if convicted.
Hochman added that while prosecutors will present some evidence throughout the preliminary hearing, they would have more to show at trial.
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Prosecutors expect to call 10 witnesses, including members of the police department and coroner’s office.
Burke and Celeste spent “a significant amount of time” together in 2024, when Burke allegedly flew the child to Las Vegas, London and Texas and introduced her to his family, prosecutors have alleged in court filings. In November of that year, however, they “broke up.”
“[Text] messages reveal the victim’s jealousy over defendant’s relationships with other women, as defendant led her to believe they had a future together,” prosecutors wrote. “She became extremely upset and threatened to disclose damaging information about her relationship with defendant to end his career and destroy his life.”
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That was two days before his debut album dropped. Burke allegedly ordered Celeste an Uber and is accused of concocting a “plan to cover up the murder” that involved sending text messages to her phone asking where she was — allegedly after he’d already stabbed her to death.
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The morning after the murder, Burke sat for a radio interview about his forthcoming album, prosecutors have said previously.
During the interview on “The Zach Sang Show,” he discussed “losing relationships” and how he could turn the losses into songs, including one named “Romantic Homicide.”
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“But you saying expecting it to end in a devastating, tragic, sad way so it can inspire art? But are you manifesting that in a certain way?” the interviewer asked.
“I really hope I’m not because it feels that way,” Burke replied.
He also explained how to pronounce “D4vd” in the episode, which is still on YouTube.
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