Nearly a year after the badly decomposed remains of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez were discovered in the front trunk of a black Tesla Model X, singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, appeared in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom this week as prosecutors laid out their case accusin g him of murdering and dismembering the teen. The prosecution sought to convince Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo that probable cause existed to believe Burke committed the crime, presenting a series of findings from a modern digital homicide investigation — a fitting approach given the ages of both the Gen Z defendant and the alleged victim. Burke’s text messages, cloud storage content, Amazon purchase history and Tesla data will likely be used against the 21-year-old based on what was presented during this week’s preliminary hearing. Crime and Courts Jul 24 How photos, texts from D4vd's phone could shape the murder case Crime and Courts Jul 23 Inflatable pool fragments, DNA samples from Tesla: New evidence in D4vd's pretrial hearing Crime and Courts Jul 21 Judge hears evidence against singer D4vd in killing, dismemberment of teen to decide on trial Amazon, Uber purchase history On the first day of the preliminary hearing, prosecutors began discussing Burke’s purchases through Amazon and Uber Postmates, attempting to connect the singer to materials found among Rivas Hernandez’s remains. The Amazon account was linked to a Gmail address that had been used to purchase United Airlines tickets for Burke and Rivas Hernandez. Although the Amazon account was registered under the name Travion Davis, Burke confirmed in a Dec. 1, 2023, text message to Rivas Hernandez that he used the alias Travion Davis for “all (his) packages.” Prosecutors alleged Burke used the Amazon account — and the alias — to purchase two orange-and-black electric chainsaws, two cadaver bags marketed as “morgue body bag Halloween 6′ long decoration prop(s)” and heavy-duty laundry bags. A shovel and another chainsaw were delivered to Burke’s home through Uber Postmates using an account connected to him, according to Los Angeles Police Department Detective Josh Byers. Prosecutors later argued that the purchased items matched those found in the garage of a Hollywood Hills home Burke had rented. Data from Tesla X A California Highway Patrol officer testified this week that a Caltrans worker found Rivas Hernandez’s passport ID card in a dirt turnout along Highway 154 in Santa Barbara County on Jan. 7, 2026. A few days later, LAPD Detective William Roecker took the stand to explain the connection between Burke and the location where the passport ID card was found. Roecker, who specializes in technology and cellular analysis, testified that cell tower data showed Burke’s Tesla Model X — the same vehicle in which Rivas Hernandez’s remains were later found — and the singer’s cellphone traveled together in April 2025 from his rented Hollywood Hills home to the Santa Barbara County location. The detective said the data showed Burke’s Tesla and cellphone leaving the Hollywood Hills residence between 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on April 23, 2025. The vehicle and cellphone then returned from Santa Barbara County between 4:03 a.m. and 7:07 a.m. on April 24, 2025, Roecker testified. According to Roecker, Burke traveled to the same location several more times in May 2025. The detective said data from Burke’s Tesla and cellphone showed trips to and from the area on May 8, May 9 and May 31. Sexually explicit photos LAPD Detective Corey Farell, a nearly 30-year veteran of the department, took the stand Friday, describing the photos, videos and text messages he reviewed from Burke’s and Rivas Hernandez’s cellphones — key evidence in the prosecution’s argument that Burke sexually abused a minor. Farell testified that the pair’s initial conversations began when Rivas Hernandez was 11 years old. Two years later, when she was an eighth-grader, their relationship became romantic, the detective said. According to images presented by prosecutors, the relationship was sexual in nature. The 13-year-old girl appeared in dozens of photos with the then-18-year-old man, including images in which she was nude and engaged in sexual activity, prosecutors alleged. Some of the images also appeared to show the two exchanging explicit photographs, according to the prosecution. The photos may support the prosecution’s claims that Burke stabbed Rivas Hernandez to death and attempted to cover up the crime to prevent their relationship from becoming public and jeopardizing his lucrative music career. Eight-grader had an abortion Detective Farrell testified that Rivas Hernandez began communicating with Burke on Aug. 8, 2022, when she was 11 years old. Their final recorded conversation occurred on April 23, 2025. During the nearly three-year period, the two discussed plans to meet and communicated regularly by text message. Farrell testified that investigators recovered messages referencing emergency contraceptives, including Plan B, as well as a photograph showing the pair posing with a box of the medication. According to testimony, messages presented in court also included discussions that prosecutors argued were related to a possible pregnancy. In one exchange from January 2024, Burke apologized for “putting (her) through this,” and Rivas Hernandez responded that neither of them was capable of caring for a child. Prosecutors also pointed to later messages that they argued referenced an abortion. According to messages shown in court, Burke offered what he described as an “abortion gift,” and Rivas Hernandez responded by requesting a designer handbag. In another exchange, prosecutors said Rivas Hernandez appeared to reference having undergone an abortion. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less