The D4vd preliminary hearing enters its third day Thursday, with Los Angeles County prosecutors continuing to lay out the evidence they say supports charges against the 21-year-old singer, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke.

He faces first-degree murder with special circumstances, lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, and mutilating a body. Celeste Rivas Hernandez was 14 when she was killed.

Her family has attended throughout. Reporters in the courtroom have noted them crying during portions of the testimony.

What a Preliminary Hearing Decides

This proceeding is not a trial, and the distinction matters for anyone following along.

Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo will determine only whether prosecutors have established probable cause — enough evidence to justify moving forward to trial. The standard is considerably lower than the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt threshold a jury would later apply.

The defense typically presents little at this stage. What the public is seeing is the prosecution’s case, unrebutted.

The Witnesses Called

Prosecutors have worked through a substantial list over two days:

• LAPD investigators and detectives
• Criminalists who processed the scenes
• Law enforcement officers who responded initially
• People who worked professionally with Burke

The themes have been consistent: Burke’s income at the time, physical evidence recovered at the Hollywood Tow Yard, and the nature of his relationship with Hernandez.

Forensic Testimony

LAPD criminalist Lauren Wallace testified about examining the garage at Burke’s Hollywood Hills residence on Sept. 17, 2025.

She described using Bluestar, a luminol-based forensic spray sensitive enough to detect blood invisible to the eye. Several items in the garage returned positive results, including materials that showed no visible staining.

Two chainsaws recovered from the location tested negative for blood.

Chelsea Murillo, another LAPD criminalist, testified about the Hollywood Tow Yard on Sept. 8, 2025, where a Tesla registered to Burke was located. She said the remains had already been removed by the medical examiner when she arrived, but described an odor from the vehicle’s front trunk consistent in her professional judgment with decomposition.

She documented 11 air fresheners distributed through the front trunk, center console, and rear door pockets, along with insect activity in the trunk.

How the Body Was Found

LAPD Detective Joshua Byers responded to the tow yard on Sept. 8 for what was initially a death investigation involving a body in a vehicle.

His testimony described opening the front trunk and locating remains contained in bags. Decomposition was advanced enough that facial identification was not possible at the scene. Dental records were ultimately used to confirm identity.

Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman presented photographic evidence during that testimony.

The Prosecution’s Theory

According to court filings, the DA’s office alleges Burke and Hernandez were involved in a sexual relationship spanning several years, and that she threatened to expose it in a way that would have ended his music career.

Prosecutors contend he arranged a ride-share to bring her to his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, and killed her there.

They further allege he purchased items under a false name in an effort to dispose of her body, and that he continued texting and calling her phone afterward to create the appearance she was alive.

Court filings state that the body remained in the vehicle for weeks or months, and that Burke offered explanations to friends and business associates who noticed the smell around his home and car.

The Medical Findings

The medical examiner’s office determined that Hernandez died in April 2025 from multiple penetrating wounds.

Her remains were discovered nearly five months later, on Sept. 8, after police responded to reports of a foul odor and insect activity at the tow yard.

The Special Circumstances

The murder charge carries three alleged special circumstances:

• Lying in wait
• Committing the crime for financial gain
• Murdering a witness in an investigation

Those allegations are what elevate the potential sentence. A conviction would carry either the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole.

District Attorney Nathan Hochman has not announced whether his office will pursue capital punishment.

His public statement was framed in terms of certainty rather than possibility — saying his office will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Burke committed the three crimes, and that when, not if, a conviction is obtained, they will seek the sentence the law permits.

What Happens Next

Prosecutors continue presenting Thursday. Once they conclude, Judge Olmedo will rule on whether the case proceeds to trial.

Given the volume of forensic testimony already entered, that outcome is widely expected. Preliminary hearings rarely end cases.

The Person at the Center

It is worth stating plainly, because coverage of cases like this tends to orbit the defendant’s fame rather than the victim’s life.

Celeste Rivas Hernandez was 14 years old. She was someone’s daughter. Her family has spent two days in a courtroom listening to strangers describe what was done to her body, and they will be back Thursday.

Whatever the legal outcome, that is the fact the rest of this is built on.