Murder Trial of Musician Delayed Due to New Evidence
The preliminary hearing for David Burke, who performs as “d4vd,” has been postponed. This delay follows the emergence of unsettling evidence pertaining to the murder case against him, as stated by prosecutors.
The decision to push back the hearing, initially set for Tuesday, came after horrific details emerged last month regarding Burke’s alleged involvement in the murder and dismemberment of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas.
According to the prosecution, Burke allegedly abused Rivas for a year before fatally stabbing her and mutilating her body in 2025. He is set to appear at a hearing on June 29, following a brief court session on Tuesday morning.
The District Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles has filed special allegations against Burke, including the murder of a witness and murder for financial gain, which could result in the death penalty.
Prosecutors highlighted that they have an extensive amount of evidence to sift through, making it impractical to proceed with the trial currently. This evidence includes lab reports, police documentation, photographs, video footage, and forensic data.
Legal documents claim Burke groomed Rivas over a significant time frame, ultimately leading to the gruesome act where he allegedly used a chainsaw to mutilate her body—an act that his legal team is trying to have sealed from public view.
Details from court filings indicate that Burke had arranged an Uber ride to pick up Rivas from her home in Lake Elsinore, California, on April 23, 2025, after she allegedly threatened to disclose the ongoing abuse.
Prosecutors allege that Burke killed Rivas in his garage and watched her bleed out. The following day, he reportedly ordered a shovel from Home Depot, and about a week later, he purchased two chainsaws from Amazon, along with a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags, an inflatable pool, and a “burn cage” believed to be intended for disposing of the body.
Authorities claim that Burke took extreme steps to destroy the evidence. Documents suggest that after stabbing Rivas, he placed her remains in the inflatable pool and dismembered her limbs. Additionally, he allegedly severed her left ring and pinky fingers because of a tattoo on her ring finger bearing his name. These fingers have not been located.
Investigators discovered images of Rivas on Burke’s phone, which allegedly depicted her in compromising situations. Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman noted that search warrants uncovered “a significant amount of child pornography” on his devices.
Patrick Steinfeld, the attorney for Rivas’ family, expressed that informing them of the allegations was one of the hardest tasks he has faced in his 37-year legal career.
Steinfeld described the process as “heartbreaking” as he conveyed the shocking details to Rivas’s family, including the allegations of Burke’s actions leading up to her death and the subsequent attempts to incinerate evidence.
When asked if he accepted the new hearing date of June 29, Burke simply replied, “Yes, Your Honor.” He has pleaded not guilty to charges including first-degree murder, murder of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains.
Rivas’s decomposed body was discovered in Burke’s Tesla in September 2025. Later, on April 16, 2026, he was arrested following a police raid at his Hollywood Hills residence. The potential for the death penalty is still under consideration, according to District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
