Graphic evidence presented in murder case against singer D4vd

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 the defendant arrived—a 21-year-old singer who performs under the stage name D4vd, legally David Anthony Burke—he wore an orange jail uniform, shackled at the wrists and ankles. He nodded quietly to his defense team and addressed the judge with formal courtesy. The atmosphere held steady until the detective began to speak.

Then the photographs came out, and the room changed.

Prosecutors displayed graphic crime scene images showing the remains of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, discovered last September inside the trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke in a Hollywood tow yard. Before each image, the prosecutor turned to Celeste's parents and warned them about what they were about to see, asking if they wanted to look away. Celeste's mother, Mercedes, had been told in advance that the images would be disturbing. Her attorney, Patrick Steinfeld, had advised her she didn't have to stay for this part of the hearing. She chose to remain. "I want to be here to show support for Celeste," she told him. When the photographs appeared, she put her head down and cried.

Detective Joshua Byers testified about what he found when he opened the cadaver bag inside the car: decomposing human remains, including a torso and a head, so severely deteriorated that the face was no longer recognizable. Underneath lay another black refuse bag containing severed limbs. The court heard that Burke had ordered a body bag, chainsaws, an inflatable pool, and a shovel online in the days after Celeste's death—purchases delivered to his address under an alias. Prosecutors allege these items were used to dismember and conceal her body.

The evidence prosecutors presented tells a narrative of premeditation and concealment. They argue Burke stabbed Celeste before using a chainsaw to dismember her, and that he did so because she had threatened to reveal their relationship—which prosecutors say involved years of sexual abuse—and destroy his multi-million-dollar music career. Burke has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and sexual abuse.

Tattoos became part of the evidence. Burke has a red-ink tattoo reading "Celeste" on his left ring finger and a "Shhh..." tattoo on his right index finger. Celeste had a matching "Shhh..." tattoo on her right index finger. Prosecutors showed the court a photograph of a severed hand with the ring and little finger cut off. The matching marks, they suggest, connect the two.

For Celeste's parents, this hearing was an ordeal they had steeled themselves for but could never fully prepare for. Steinfeld told the BBC after the proceedings that they were horrified. "There was an image of Celeste's torso and her head in the trunk of the car, and the prosecutor had to ask what it was because you could not tell it was a head," he said. "It was absolutely deplorable." He had warned them that once they saw these images, they would never be able to unsee them. "They're an extremely private family," he added. "It's a parent's worst nightmare."

This hearing is not the trial itself. It is a preliminary hearing—a proceeding in which prosecutors lay out the evidence they believe links Burke to Celeste's death, seeking to convince the judge that sufficient grounds exist for the case to move forward to a jury trial. The hearing is expected to last several days, with additional witnesses still to testify. The full weight of what happened to Celeste Rivas Hernandez, and why, will be tested in the courtroom in the days ahead.