Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 20
D4vd Faces 3-Day Preliminary Hearing in 14-Year-Old Celeste Rivas Hernandez Murder Case
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 20

D4vd Faces 3-Day Preliminary Hearing in 14-Year-Old Celeste Rivas Hernandez Murder Case

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 20

Summary

  • Los Angeles Superior Court is set to begin a preliminary hearing Tuesday that could run at least three days in the case accusing singer D4vd of killing 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
  • The hearing will determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence to send the case to trial; it is not a trial and will not decide guilt.
  • April charges accused D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, of first-degree murder in Hernandez's stabbing death after her severely decomposed body was found last fall in the trunk of his Tesla.
  • Prosecutors added special-circumstance allegations including lying in wait, financial gain and killing a witness, exposing Burke to life without parole or the death penalty if convicted; he has pleaded not guilty.

Insights

With a music career on the line, what key evidence will determine if singer D4vd stands trial for a teen’s brutal murder?
Did a teen’s threat to expose a secret relationship truly lead a famous singer to commit a gruesome, calculated murder?