Graphic evidence presented in D4vd murder case as family endures 'worst nightmare'

The courtroom in downtown Los Angeles filled with anticipation long before the hearing began. Journalists, content creators, and members of the public had entered a lottery for seats. When David Anthony Burke was led in—orange jail uniform, shackled at wrists and ankles—the chatter stopped. He was 21, a singer who performed under the stage name D4vd. He was accused of murdering a 14-year-old girl named Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

On Tuesday, prosecutors presented the evidence they believed proved his guilt. They showed the courtroom graphic photographs of Celeste's dismembered remains, discovered the previous September inside the trunk of a Tesla in a Hollywood tow yard. Detective Joshua Byers testified about opening a cadaver bag and finding decomposing human remains—a torso, a head so degraded her face was no longer recognizable, and severed limbs in a separate refuse bag beneath. Before each image was displayed, prosecutor Beth Silverman turned to Celeste's parents and warned them about what they were about to see, asking if they wanted to look away. They did not. Celeste's mother, Mercedes, kept her head down and cried.

The prosecution's theory was methodical and dark. They alleged Burke had stabbed Celeste, then used a chainsaw to dismember her body to conceal the killing. In the days after her death, he had ordered items online—body bags, chainsaws, an inflatable pool, a shovel—all delivered to his address under an alias. Investigators believed these purchases were part of a plan to dispose of the evidence. The motive, prosecutors said, was self-preservation. Celeste had threatened to expose their relationship and destroy his music career, which they described as worth millions of dollars. The relationship itself, they argued, had involved years of sexual abuse.

Burke had pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and sexual abuse. This hearing was not the trial itself but a preliminary proceeding—a chance for prosecutors to convince the judge that sufficient evidence existed to move the case forward to a jury. The evidence they presented included more than photographs. Detectives had found matching tattoos. Burke had a red-ink tattoo reading "Celeste" on his left ring finger and a "Shhh..." tattoo on his right index finger. Celeste had the same "Shhh..." tattoo on her right index finger. Prosecutors also showed a photograph of a severed hand—the ring and little finger cut away.

For Celeste's parents, the hearing was what their attorney, Patrick Steinfeld, called their "worst nightmare." He had warned them in advance that they would see images they could never unsee. He had encouraged them to step out during the graphic portions. They refused. "I want to be here to show support for Celeste," Mercedes had told him. Steinfeld described one photograph in particular—Celeste's torso and head in the trunk of the car—so decomposed that the prosecutor had to ask what it was because you could not tell it was a head. "It was absolutely deplorable," Steinfeld told the BBC. "They're at a loss for words and they're just trying to do the best they can." He noted that the family was extremely private. What they endured in that courtroom was not something they had chosen.

Burke sat chained to his chair throughout the hearing. He had briefly smiled at members of his defense team when he entered, and he responded to the judge with "Good morning, Your Honour" and "Yes, Your Honour." His demeanor was quiet, composed. The preliminary hearing was expected to last several days as prosecutors called additional witnesses. The case would move forward, or it would not, depending on what the judge decided the evidence proved. Either way, Celeste's parents would carry what they had seen in that courtroom for the rest of their lives.