US singer D4vd to go on trial for murder in death of 14-year-old

Image source, Getty ImagesBySareen Habeshian, Shaimaa Khalil and Sam Mulick, Reporting fromcourthouse in Los AngelesPublished27 July 2026, 22:17 BSTUpdated 5 minutes agoA judge has ruled that US musician D4vd will go on trial for murder over the death of a teenage girl.The decision came after a five-day preliminary hearing, in which Los Angeles prosecutors questioned a dozen witnesses and displayed photographic evidence as 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez's family watched on.The star, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, is accused of killing the girl, whose remains were found last September in a Tesla registered to his address.

Burke, 21, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering and sexually abusing her.Texts reveal 14-year-old allegedly murdered by singer D4vd had pregnancy and abortionPublished2 days agoBurke's arraignment is scheduled for 31 August. The trial is to start within 90 days of that date.

Prosecutors have alleged Burke stabbed the teen before dismembering her body after years of alleged sexual abuse.They allege he killed her because the teen had threatened to reveal his relationship with a minor and destroy his multi-million dollar music career.Evidence read in court on Monday showed threats Hernandez made to Burke on 22 April 2025, stemming from arguments about his friendship with another girl."

I swear to GOD I will kill u", one expletive-laden text said, followed by a threat to strangle him and tell her dad lies about him. "i will end ur career and ur life I will damage anything," one text said.The following day, Hernandez went to Burke's Hollywood home in an Uber he had sent to pick her up.

Prosecutors alleged that Burke stabbed her once she arrived.During questioning at the hearing on Monday, Detective Corey Farrell of the Los Angeles Police Department said text messages indicated that the defendant and the girl had attended church with her family. The detective also told the court that the teen had misrepresented her age to the defendant, telling him she was 16 and 18 at different times.

Burke's defence lawyers argued there was not sufficient evidence that he had committed the crime.They said her parents were aware of what was going on between them and had even given written consent for her to travel to London with Burke for a week. The defence highlighted texts that suggested Celeste had insisted on going to Burke's Hollywood Hills home the night of 23 April 2025 and that he had argued against her coming that night.

He "repeatedly expressed love and care for Ms Hernandez after they broke up", defence attorney Marilyn Bednarski said in court.The medical examiner's inability to prove how the two penetrating wounds found in the girl occurred and the lack of surveillance video capturing Burke being home on the night of 23 April proved a lack of evidence, the defence argued.Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo ultimately said the prosecution met the threshold of proving that Burke had probable cause to commit the crime, a lower standard than beyond a reasonable doubt, which the prosecution will have to prove in trial."

The people have met their burden on all counts," Judge Olmedo said.She found that prosecutors met the threshold for the charge of murder with special circumstances, including lying in wait, motive for financial gain and eliminating a witness.Following the hearing, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office only presented a fraction of the evidence it has against Burke, and that it would present everything in the coming trial.

Hochman also said his office had not yet determined if it would pursue the death penalty against Burke.The BBC's Fame Under Fire podcast brings you the latest from inside the Los Angeles courtroom at the D4vd preliminary hearing.Related topicsLos AngelesCultureUnited StatesCaliforniaMusic 27 July 2026, 22:17 BST 2 days ago