Singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, has been ordered to stand trial in connection with the alleged killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, after a Los Angeles judge ruled that prosecutors presented sufficient evidence to proceed with the case.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo ruled after a five-day preliminary hearing that prosecutors had established probable cause for charges including murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. Burke, 21, has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody without bail.

The ruling also leaves open the possibility of a death sentence. Prosecutors have alleged special circumstances including murder of a witness, murder for financial gain and murder by lying in wait. However, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.

During the preliminary hearing, prosecutors presented testimony and evidence concerning their allegations that Burke killed Rivas Hernandez in April 2025 and later attempted to conceal her remains. Authorities say her decomposed and dismembered remains were discovered months later in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke. Prosecutors also presented evidence involving DNA, text messages and purchases they say were connected to the alleged crime.

Hochman said the evidence presented at the hearing represented only a “small but illustrative fraction” of the material investigators have gathered. Prosecutors maintain that the evidence they have collected will ultimately establish Burke’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The defense has challenged the prosecution’s case, arguing that much of the evidence is circumstantial. Reports have also noted that investigators have not recovered the alleged murder weapon and that no witness has testified to seeing the killing itself.

Burke is scheduled to return to court for a post-preliminary arraignment on August 31, 2026. The case remains ongoing, and the allegations against him have not been proven at trial. Under U.S. law, Burke is presumed innocent unless and until he is found guilty.