Dv4d case: Teen's parents knew of relationship with pop singer before chainsaw dismemberment, testimony says

The parents of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old girl found dead and dismembered in a Tesla belonging to aspiring singer David "D4vd" Burke, had an ongoing relationship with her accused killer that her parents knew about, according to court testimony.

They took steps to separate the two, prosecutors have said, including taking her phone away and calling police when she ran away from home. At one point, he allegedly paid a high schooler $1,000 to deliver her a new phone, according to prosecutors.

Los Angeles Police Department Detective Corey Ferrel testified about damning text message communications Monday as Burke's week-long preliminary hearing neared an end, child molester when he turned his attention toward other females.

"D4vd allegedly squandered his fame and fortune by brutally killing a young girl because he feared their illicit sexual relationship would ruin his aspiring career," said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. "The only headlines that will accompany his stage name from here forward will be about the vicious murder of a young girl."

According to prosecutors, Burke invited Celeste to his home in Hollywood Hills on April 23, 2025. They said an Uber dropped her off, and that was the last time she was seen alive.

The next morning, Burke sat for a radio interview about his forthcoming album and then began a series of what prosecutors allege were suspicious online purchases — a shovel, three chainsaws, a body bag and a blue kiddie pool. Some of the items were ordered using an alias, according to the Los Angeles DA's Office.

Burke is accused of stabbing Celeste to death shortly after she arrived, then dismembering her with a chainsaw in the pool in his garage, where investigators allegedly found DNA consistent with the victim's.

Then on Sept. 8, 2025, Burke's abandoned Tesla was impounded, and police found Celeste's decomposing remains inside, according to prosecutors. There were fragments of the pool plastic "embedded" in her remains.

Burke is due back in court on Aug. 31 for an arraignment hearing.