Prosecutors: D4vd dismembered teen with chainsaw, tried to cover it up

Key Points:

• David Anthony Burke, known as D4vd, is charged with the murder, continuous sexual abuse of a minor, and mutilation of a corpse related to the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered body was found in his Tesla trunk.
• Prosecutors allege Burke killed Hernandez in April 2025 after she threatened to expose his abuse and damage his music career, then used chainsaws and other tools to dismember her body and amputated two of her fingers to remove a tattoo linking him to her.
• Hernandez had been in a sexual relationship with Burke since she was 13, and despite multiple missing person reports, Burke maintained he was unaware she was a minor or missing; he allegedly paid a student to provide her with a new phone to maintain contact.
• The defense requested a delay of the preliminary hearing to May 26 due to the large volume of discovery, including wiretap results and evidence of alleged child pornography found on Burke’s devices, while prosecutors expressed frustration over the postponement.
• Burke’s attorney criticized the prosecution’s pre-hearing brief as one-sided and potentially prejudicial, emphasizing that no evidence has yet been formally presented or adjudicated in court.