Forensic investigators have testified that possible bloodstains were detected on items found at the Hollywood Hills home of singer D4vd, born David Anthony Burke, during the second day of a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles to determine whether there is sufficient evidence for him to stand trial. Burke, 21, faces charges of first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains in connection with the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. He has pleaded not guilty, and his defence team maintains that he "was not the cause" of her death.
Los Angeles Police Department criminalist Lauren Wallace testified that rubber mats covering the garage floor of Burke's former residence likely bore bloodstains, and that linear cuts consistent with a sharp object were found on the mats. A green tarp, black rubber mats and a crumpled inflatable pool — which carried the odour of fresh laundry — also tested positive for possible blood using presumptive chemical tests, which detect the potential presence of blood but do not confirm it definitively. Defence attorney Blair Berk pressed witnesses on that distinction during cross-examination, with criminalist Chelsea Murillo acknowledging the tests were "only presumptive." Two chainsaws found in the garage tested negative for blood. Investigators also examined a black Tesla Model X, registered to Burke, in which Celeste's dismembered remains were discovered at a Hollywood tow yard in September 2025. The vehicle's exterior was coated in dust, suggesting prolonged outdoor exposure; its front trunk contained maggots and flies and emitted a strong decomposition odour despite multiple air fresheners inside.
Prosecutors allege that Burke stabbed Celeste and subsequently dismembered her body with a chainsaw to conceal the killing. They contend his motive was to silence her after she threatened to expose their alleged sexual relationship — which, they say, began when she was 13 — and thereby destroy his rising music career. To establish financial motivation, prosecutors presented testimony from an Interscope Records executive showing that the label paid Burke and affiliated entities more than $7.2 million between 2022 and 2025, encompassing recording advances, legal fees and a trust required by California law for underage entertainers. Interscope terminated his contract in December 2025. Prosecutors also presented evidence of online purchases delivered to Burke's address under an alias after Celeste's death, including chainsaws, body bags and an inflatable pool, as well as credit card records for a shovel.
The hearing, presided over by Judge Charlaine Olmedo in downtown Los Angeles, opened on Tuesday with graphic crime scene photographs shown publicly in court for the first time. Celeste's parents, Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, attended both days dressed in black. Their family attorney, Patrick Steinfeld, said the parents had been warned about the images but insisted on remaining in the courtroom. "I told her she didn't have to be in the courtroom for this part of the hearing," Steinfeld said of Celeste's mother, "but she said, 'I want to be here to show support for Celeste.'" Speaking outside court on Wednesday, he described the ordeal as "a parent's worst nightmare" and said the family "have a hole in their heart that will never be replaced."
The preliminary hearing is expected to last between three and five days, with no jury present — Judge Olmedo alone will decide whether the prosecution has demonstrated probable cause for the case to proceed to a full jury trial. Burke has been held without bail since his arrest in April and has appeared in court in an orange jumpsuit. If convicted of murder, he could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole; prosecutors have not yet indicated whether they will seek capital punishment.