Dayslong preliminary hearing begins for singer D4vd in killing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The highly anticipated preliminary hearing for singer D4vd began in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, with prosecutors presenting some of the evidence they say supports charges against the performer in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
During the key hearing, which is expected to last three to seven days, prosecutors will present their evidence and testimony in court for the first time as they seek to establish probable cause.
The burden of proof prosecutors must establish is lower at a preliminary hearing. Once it's all laid out, a judge will decide if there's enough to proceed to trial.
WATCH: ABC News' Alex Stone reports on day 1 of singer D4vd's preliminary hearing
The singer, whose real name is David Burke, is accused of murdering Rivas Hernandez, whose body was found decomposing in the front of his Tesla in a Hollywood tow yard in September 2025.
D4vd was arrested seven months after her body was discovered. He's been held without bail since.
What has happened in court so far?
D4vd appeared in court wearing an orange jail uniform and restraints. His attorneys asked that the shackles be removed, arguing they were unnecessary and undignified. The judge allowed Burke's handcuffs to be removed so he could take notes and drink water but did not grant the broader request.
The hearing included the presentation of photographs showing Rivas Hernandez's decomposing and dismembered body. The images prompted audible reactions from those in attendance. Rivas Hernandez's parents were present in court but are not expected to testify during the preliminary hearing. Her mother covered her mouth as the photographs were shown.
D4vd remained stoic during testimony about the dismembered body found in his impounded Tesla.
The hearing, which kicked off Tuesday morning, included graphic testimony from a police detective who responded to a Hollywood tow yard and found Rivas Hernandez's decomposing, dismembered body in D4vd's impounded vehicle. Her family members could be seen getting emotional as the detective described the horrific scene.
After seeing news coverage of the unidentified body in D4vd's vehicle, the teen's father called the Los Angeles Police Department concerned that it was his daughter who was in the trunk, the detective said. Dental records were provided, and the medical examiner identified the remains on Sept. 16, 2025. The following day, a search warrant was served at D4vd's residence, according to the detective.
Following D4vd's arrest in April, the detective said he observed a "Shhh..." tattoo on the singer's right index finger and a "Celeste" tattoo on his left ring finger. Rivas Hernandez also had a "Shhh..." tattoo on her right index finger, and her left hand's ring and pinky fingers were missing, the detective said.
D4vd allegedly used an alias to buy two cadaver bags, heavy-duty laundry bags and an inflatable pool, according to the detective.
The prosecution contended in an April court filing that the singer "purchased tools to carry out his plot to dismember and dispose of the victim's body," including ordering a shovel, two chain saws, a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags and a blue inflatable pool to be delivered to his home under a fake name.
The first witness to testify Tuesday was Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Juan Gonzalez, who responded to D4vd's home in 2024 for a welfare check on Rivas Hernandez. Gonzalez told the court that Rivas Hernandez was not at the residence and said his conversation with D4vd gave him the impression that "he really didn't know her."
The final witness Tuesday was Burke's financial adviser. The singer reportedly grossed more than $10 million between 2023 and 2025.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, whose office is prosecuting the case, said they plan to call over 10 witnesses, including police and coroner testimony.
"We believe we will more than accomplish the evidentiary burden of probable cause at this point to hold D4vd to answer on these three felony charges," Hochman said outside the courthouse on Tuesday.
What type of evidence could emerge during the hearing?
Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, spoke with Eyewitness News Tuesday morning and described the types of evidence and testimony that could emerge during the proceedings.
"We're talking about sex, we're talking about violence, we're talking about drugs. There are people that were in and out of that Hollywood Hills home that have information, and the district attorney, they convene multiple grand juries in this case ... not for the purposes of indictment that we typically see, but to subpoena witnesses, and they went out of state to actually get one of those witnesses and almost arrested them to make them testify. So expect friends, members of D4vd's inner circle to flip... to potentially have cooperated against him, and that's information that we're going to see come out at this [preliminary hearing.]"
Much of the evidence investigators gathered before ultimately arresting Burke hasn't been made public. But much of it may come out during this week's hearing.
Rahmani said one category is video evidence.
According to court documents, prosecutors' evidence includes surveillance video that they say shows D4vd was the last person to drive his Tesla.
"Also, the home that D4vd rented in the Hollywood Hills apparently has cameras," Rahmani said.
Asked about the strength of the prosecution's case, Rahmani said the evidence already made public appears compelling.
"I think this is a very strong case for the prosecution, and one that will be very difficult for the defense to overcome," Rahmani said.
Looking back at the case
Prosecutors allege that D4vd and Rivas Hernandez began a sexual relationship in 2023, when he was 18, and she was 13, and that she was threatening to expose their illegal relationship and ruin his career if he would not be exclusive to her.
Just as tickets for his world tour were set to go on sale, it is alleged that the "Romantic Homicide" singer ordered an Uber that brought Rivas Hernandez to his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, prosecutors said in a nine-page brief filed days after D4vd's arrest. That was the last time she was seen alive, according to prosecutors.
Court documents also reference text messages between D4vd and Rivas Hernandez that "contain references to sex, pregnancy, abortion, and use of the Plan B emergency contraceptive."
Prosecutors say that in the days after the alleged murder, D4vd ordered two chainsaws, a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags and a blue inflatable pool that investigators say was used to contain the teen's blood as she was dismembered.
Burke has pleaded not guilty to charges that include first-degree murder, sexual abuse of a child and unlawful mutilation of human remains.
Prosecutors have not yet decided if they will seek the death penalty.
Alex Stone, ABC News and City News Service contributed to this report.
