A Los Angeles court heard graphic testimony on Tuesday about the state of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez's remains, which were discovered in the boot of singer D4vd's Tesla. Detective Joshua Byers of the Los Angeles Police Department described opening the car boot at a tow yard and immediately recognizing the "very distinctive smell" of a decomposed body.
Graphic Evidence Presented in Court
Inside the vehicle, officers found the teenager's dismembered remains split between two bags. A large black bag contained her head and torso, while her arms and legs were found separately. Detective Byers told the court that the second bag showed clear signs of insect activity. "There was maggots. There was various stages of flies," Byers testified. When asked whether he could identify any facial features, he responded: "No, there was quite a bit of decomposition to where skin slippage…made it unrecognizable." Graphic photographs were presented to the court during the hearing.
Prosecution's Allegations Against D4vd
Prosecutors allege that the 21-year-old singer, born David Anthony Burke, killed the girl after she threatened to expose their years-long illegal sexual relationship. According to the prosecution, Burke first encountered the victim when she was 11 years old and allegedly began a sexual relationship with her at age 13. Body camera footage played during proceedings showed Burke telling sheriff's deputies: "She told me she was 18. Everybody saying she was 13." The girl's mother had reported her missing in 2024.
Charges and Potential Penalties
Burke, who sat in court wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and showed no visible reaction when the photographs were displayed, has denied one count each of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Preliminary Hearing Details
Los Angeles chief prosecutor Nathan Hochman confirmed that the preliminary hearing, during which a judge will decide whether the case proceeds to trial, is expected to run between three and five days. "We believe we will more than accomplish the evidentiary burden of probable cause at this point to hold David to answer on these three felony charges," Hochman said outside court.
