Gruesome images bring the crime to light
WARNING: READERS MAY FIND THE DETAILS IN THIS ARTICLE DISTRESSING.
On the opening day of a preliminary hearing for singer D4vd’s murder case, prosecutors in Los Angeles showed chilling photographs of a teenage girl’s dismembered corpse to her horrified parents.
They presented the images of 14‑year‑old Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s body, found last year inside a Tesla registered to the 21‑year‑old suspect, David Anthony Burke.
A homicide detective testified that Burke ordered a body bag, chainsaws, an inflatable pool and a shovel online in the days after Celeste’s death.
Burke has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering and sexually abusing the girl.
Until the Tuesday hearing, the grisly details had only been described in court filings. This was the first time the evidence was shown publicly in court.
Although not the final trial, prosecutors used the images to convince the judge that the case has sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.
Investigators’ claims
Prosecutors allege Burke stabbed Celeste before dismembering her body with a chainsaw to conceal the killing after years of alleged sexual abuse.
They claim he killed her because she threatened to expose his relationship with a minor, jeopardising his multi‑million dollar music career.
For the victim’s parents, the experience was worse than they could have prepared for; their lawyer, Patrick Steinfeld, told the BBC after the hearing, “This is the first time they have seen this evidence and they were horrified.”
He described seeing Celeste’s torso and a head lying in the car’s trunk; the prosecutor had to explain that it was a head. “It was absolutely deplorable,” Steinfeld said.
“They are at a loss for words, trying to do the best they can.”
Steinfeld said Celeste’s mother, Mercedes, was warned that graphic images would be shown. He told her that she did not need to be in the courtroom for this part of the hearing. But Mercedes chose to stay for support, “She just put her head down and started crying.”
Both parents were advised that once they saw the images they would never be able to “unsee” them. They chose to remain in the courtroom.
The small downtown Los Angeles courtroom filled quickly. Journalists, TikTok creators and members of the public had entered a lottery for a limited number of seats to watch the proceedings.
When D4vd entered the room, he was wearing an orange jail uniform, shackled at the wrists and ankles. His handcuffs were removed but he remained chained to his chair throughout the hearing. He briefly smiled at his defence team, then quietly answered the judge with “Good morning, Your Honour” and “Yes, Your Honour.”
The atmosphere shifted dramatically once Detective Joshua Byers began his testimony. Before each graphic image, prosecutor Beth Silverman turned to Celeste’s parents, warning them about what they were about to see and checking whether they wanted to look away.
At one point, Celeste’s mother was comforted by supporters seated beside her.
The victim’s body was discovered inside the trunk of a Tesla in September 2025 in a Hollywood tow yard. Detective Byers described opening a cadaver bag inside the car and finding a torso and a head, with severed limbs in a black refuse bag underneath.
The body had decomposed so far that the victim’s face was no longer recognizable.
Investigators also presented evidence of purchases delivered to Burke’s address under an alias after Celeste’s death – chainsaws, body bags and an inflatable pool. They allege the items were used to dismember and conceal Celeste’s body.
Prosecutors also highlighted tattoos allegedly connecting Burke and Celeste. The judge saw a photograph of a red‑ink tattoo reading “Celeste” on Burke’s left ring finger, a “Shhh…” tattoo on his right index finger, and a similar tattoo on Celeste’s right index finger. They also showed a hand where the ring and little fingers were cut off.
The preliminary hearing is expected to last several days, with prosecutors planning to call additional witnesses to establish enough evidence for the case to move to a jury trial.
