Judge orders D4vd to stand trial in murder-abuse case involving 14-year-old girl | Today’s news

Judges in Los Angeles have ruled that singer D4vd will stand trial on charges of murder, repeated sexual abuse of a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains after prosecutors presented five days of evidence in a preliminary hearing.

A judge has ordered singer D4vd to stand trial in a murder case

Prosecutors alleged that 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was murdered after she threatened to expose her and D4vd’s relationship, which would damage his career.

Judge Charlaine Olmedo found Monday that prosecutors presented enough evidence during a five-day preliminary hearing to establish probable cause for a trial on charges of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains.

Read also | Case D4vd: Cause of Death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez Released

“The people have met their burden in all respects,” Olmedo said, ordering Burke to remain in custody without bail.

D4vd, real name David Burke, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The 21-year-old singer, whose career was on the rise before the allegations emerged, showed no visible reaction when the decision was handed down. His defense attorneys declined to comment outside court.

Olmedo noted that the standard of probable cause required at a preliminary hearing is significantly lower than the burden of proof at trial. But prosecutors said the evidence against Burke was overwhelming.

“Based on the mountains of evidence presented,” said Assistant District Attorney Beth Silverman, “all charges have been proven far beyond the required standard.”

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said prosecutors are still considering whether to seek the death penalty. Burke is scheduled to be arraigned on August 31.

Prosecutors closed their case Monday by reconstructing the final hours of Rivas Hernandez’s life, saying her phone went off the air shortly after she arrived at Burke’s Hollywood home on April 23, 2025.

According to prosecutors, she traveled to the house in an Uber arranged by Burke and sent her last text shortly before arriving: “girl pop I’m almost there open the door if you’re home.”

They allege Burke fatally stabbed the teenager after she entered the home.

Prosecutors told the court the pair had argued the previous night over text messages about Burke’s relationship with another woman. During the exchange, Rivas Hernandez allegedly threatened to expose him, writing that he would tell his father “so many lies” about Burke and “I will end your career and your life.”

According to prosecutors, Burke met Rivas Hernandez when she was 11 and began sexually abusing her when she was 13 and he was 18. They say he killed her after she threatened to report the relationship before dismembering her body in the garage with chainsaws.

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Prosecutors said they have records showing Burke bought the chainsaws and plastic wading allegedly used in the dismemberment, while DNA matching Rivas Hernandez was found on bloodstains recovered from the garage during a search.

They further alleged that Burke kept the body in the trunk of a Tesla registered to his name for several months before it was discovered after the vehicle was towed from the Hollywood Hills in September 2025. According to prosecutors, Burke was the last person to drive the vehicle.

The defense argued that there was insufficient evidence to support the murder charge.

“There is no evidence that Mr. Burke had the deliberate intent to kill Miss Hernandez,” said defense attorney Marilyn Bednarski.

She claimed that communications between Burke and Rivas Hernandez showed “no threat, no evidence of a history of violence” and that he had “the opposite of murderous malice” towards her.

The defense also disputed the medical examiner’s finding that Rivas Hernandez died from two stab wounds, saying it was too inconclusive to prove murder. While the defense did not offer an alternative explanation for her death, it argued that it was not necessary at this stage.

Lawyers also presented Burke with text messages in which Rivas Hernandez allegedly threatened to expose their relationship, contact his mother and friends and “leak” information about him.

On cross-examination, Detective Farrell admitted that there was no indication that Rivas Hernandez threatened to report Burke to the police or take legal action against him. The defense also claimed that in the days before her death, she repeatedly asked to see Burke and threatened him.

Silverman rejected those arguments, telling the court that “many times throughout this proceeding the defense has tried to smear the victim” even though she was a child.

Farrell also testified that the parents of both Burke and Rivas Hernandez knew about their relationship, that Burke attended church with her family, and that her parents agreed to the pair traveling to London together for a week.

Prosecutors further alleged that Burke attempted to cover up the murder by texting Rivas Hernandez’s phone after her death asking where she was and expressing concern for her welfare.

Read also | D4vd charged with murder of juvenile in Los Angeles case; possible death penalty

Earlier in the hearing, investigators testified that DNA obtained from apparent bloodstains in Burke’s garage matched Rivas Hernandez. Her remains were later found inside a Tesla registered to Burke.

Farrell also described sexually explicit photos and years of text messages allegedly documenting the relationship between Burke and Rivas Hernandez. He testified that investigators also uncovered evidence indicating that she became pregnant in 2024 at the age of 13 and later had an abortion.

The material shown in court was so graphic that Rivas Hernandez’s mother was left in tears, prompting both parents to leave the courtroom during Friday’s hearing before returning Monday.

Pronounced “David”, D4vd rose to prominence as a teenager with a blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop, gaining a large following across TikTok, SoundCloud and Spotify. His 2022 breakthrough single “Romantic Homicide” has amassed over a billion streams and he performed at the 2024 Coachella music festival. His debut album, Withered, was released two days after prosecutors said Rivas Hernandez was killed.