Singer Accused of Murdering 14-Year-Old Receives Delay of Major Hearing

The platinum-selling musician known as D4vd, accused of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez and concealing her dismembered remains in the trunk of his Tesla, appeared in court Wednesday and received a delay of his upcoming probable cause hearing.

The 'Romantic Homicide' singer, born David Anthony Burke, agreed to push the hearing from June 29 to July 21 after his defense team requested more time. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo set a status conference for July 7.

'Thank you, your honor,' Burke said before he was led out of the courtroom in an orange jail uniform and waist shackles. His lead defense lawyer, Blair Berk, declined to comment as she left the courthouse. His other lead lawyer, Marilyn Bednarski, did not attend.

The judge said she found 'good cause' to continue the hearing after reading a sealed declaration from Bednarski submitted with the motion to continue. The important hearing is expected to last several days with multiple witnesses. After the hearing, the judge will decide if prosecutors have enough viable evidence to warrant a jury trial.

Burke, 21, was arrested April 16 and charged a week later with first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. Prosecutors added special circumstance allegations of murder of a witness, murder for financial gain, and lying in wait, making him ineligible for bail.

In a chilling evidence brief unsealed April 29, prosecutors claim surveillance video shows Burke driving his Tesla on July 29, 2025, before parking it near his rental home and leaving for a concert tour. The car was later towed and impounded, with investigators finding the grisly discovery of Rivas' remains on Sept. 8, 2025.

'For several weeks, or possibly months, defendants left the victim's body to decompose inside his Tesla. He lied to friends, business associates, and others who noticed the strong smell of decay in and around his home and vehicle,' the brief, obtained by Rolling Stone, alleges.

Burke has pleaded not guilty and followed the Wednesday hearing intently, nodding along as the judge spoke.