D4vd to stand trial for murder as chilling details continue to emerge in Celeste Rivas murder case
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The five-day preliminary hearing saw testimony from several individuals who laid out a dark and disturbing history between the now 21-year-old singer and the teen girl.
After a five-day preliminary hearing, a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge has determined there is sufficient evidence for D4vd (real name David Burke) to stand trial for murder in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas.
Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo issued the ruling after prosecutors provided ample evidence connecting the illegal relationship between Burke and Rivas, including text messages where the teen told Burke she was pregnant when she was 13, child sex abuse images involving Rivas, and images of sexual activity between the two.
“Both of us aren’t able to take care of it,” Rivas wrote in a January 8, 2024, text to the singer about the pregnancy.
“I know but still,” Burke responded.
In another text message, Burke told her, “let this abortion be the last one till we have the real one.”
Prosecutors allege Burke stabbed Rivas to death in April 2025 after an argument regarding his relationships with other women. They also allege he dismembered her body using items purchased through Amazon and Home Depot, including two orange-and-black electric chainsaws, two cadaver bags marketed as “morgue body bag Halloween 6′ long decoration prop(s)” and heavy-duty laundry bags.
Rivas’ remains were discovered in a Tesla registered to Burke in September 2025, days after it was impounded. LAPD criminalist Chelsea Murillo testified that she found at least 11 air fresheners in Burke’s Tesla a day after police found the girl’s remains in the vehicle.
Rivas’ family was thankful for the judge’s ruling.
“The family’s relieved that it’s done with,” attorney Patrick Steinfeld told reporters outside the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center at the conclusion of the hearing. “They’re going to take a break and they appreciate the hard work the district attorney’s office has done, as well as the investigation by LAPD investigators.”
Burke is charged with first-degree murder with the special circumstances of lying in wait, committing the crime for financial gain and murdering a witness to an investigation. He is also accused of lewd and lascivious sexual acts with an individual under 14 years of age and mutilating human remains. If found guilty, he could face life without the possibility of parole or death. However, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman has not determined if he will pursue the death penalty in the case.
Burke is currently being held without bail in relation to the case and is due back in court on August 31.
He has pled not guilty to all charges.