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US singer D4vd to stand trial in killing of 14-year-old girl
D4vd is accused of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez in 2025. Prosecutors allege that he dismembered her body and drove around with her decomposing remains in his car.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Hr97 Advertisement Content warning: This article discusses child sexual abuse and murder.
A US judge ruled on Monday that there is enough evidence for singer D4vd to stand trial over the killing and dismembering of a 14-year-old girl with whom he had an illegal sexual relationship.
After prosecutors presented evidence over a five-day hearing, Los Angeles Judge Charlaine Olmedo ruled that the 21-year-old singer, whose real name is David Burke, would stand trial.
He faces multiple charges including murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. He has pleaded not guilty.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said outside court that prosecutors are still deciding whether to seek the death penalty.
In September 2025, the dismembered, decomposing body of 14-year-old year old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found in the back of a Tesla that was registered in Burke's name.
Prosecutors alleged that Burke first met Rivas Hernandez when she was 11, and began sexually abusing her when she was 13 and he was 18.
Los Angeles police detective Corey Farrell told the court under questioning that the parents of both Burke and Rivas Hernandez knew about their relationship and that her parents had given consent for her to travel to London with him for a week.
The detective also read text messages to the court in which Rivas Hernandez said she had fallen pregnant and had an abortion.
Around 24 hours before she was murdered, Rivas Hernandez sent Burke a series of expletive-laden text messages. Prosecutors said the text messages showed she was jealous of another woman and threatened to expose their illegal relationship.
The singer then allegedly paid for an Uber to bring Rivas Hernandez to his home where prosecutors said he stabbed her to death upon entering.
Prosecutors alleged that Burke then proceeded to immediately cover up the killing. Burke sent Rivas Hernandez multiple text messages asking where she was and expressing concern — messages which prosecutors say were sent as cover after he murdered her.
Meanwhile, prosecutors also pointed to Burke's online order receipts under a fictitious name, which showed he purchased chainsaws, a shovel and an inflatable pool.
He allegedly used the items to dismember her body in his garage, where DNA matching the victim was found on blood stains, according to prosecutors.
He also purchased a portable "burn box" incinerator that turned out to be too small to destroy her body, prosecutors said.
Burke then allegedly drove around for weeks with Rivas Hernandez's dismembered body in his trunk before the seemingly abandoned Tesla was ultimately towed to an impound lot in Hollywood.
Prosecutor Beth Silverman told the court that "there's nothing in this case that sounds like an accident."
Burke's lawyer meanwhile said "there was no evidence of deliberate intention to kill."
Burke, performing as D4vd, gained a massive following on social media like TikTok and Soundcloud with his breakthrough track "Romantic Homicide" in 2022.
In April 2025, he played at the Coachella music festival and released his first album "Withered," two days after authorities say Rivas Hernandez was killed.
If you or someone you know are experiencing or have experienced any kind of gender-based violence, the website lila.help ( https://lila.help ) lists trustworthy helplines and NGOs that offer support in almost every country in the world.
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