New DNA, Blood Evidence Surfaces in D4vd Murder Trial

Evidence has surfaced in the trial against singer D4vd for the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, linking D4vd’s DNA to the teen victim’s blood.

During trial last week, a police criminalist testified that D4vd’s DNA was among the genetic material found on a trash bag which prosecutors say contained blood evidence linked to Rivas. Los Angeles Police Department criminalist Samantha Tosch testified that a swab taken from the trash bag during the search of the house contained a mixture of DNA from four people, and Burke’s DNA was “included in that mixture profile.”

The bag was recovered during a search of the singer’s Hollywood Hills rental in September 2025, which was conducted after Rivas’s body was found dismembered in the trunk of D4vd’s Tesla.

Prosecutors claim that D4vd, born David Anthony Burke, stabbed Rivas in his house on April 23, 2025 to cover up his sexual abuse of the girl. After leaving for a promotional tour, prosecutors claim he returned to Los Angeles weeks later and dismembered her body in an inflatable pool in his garage, then concealed the remains in his Tesla. Last September, Rivas’s body was discovered at a Hollywood tow yard after workers reported a strong odor coming from the car. 

Burke has pleaded not guilty to murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. His lawyers claim that evidence will show that Burke did not kill Rivas.

Following a preliminary hearing, the judge will decide if prosecutors have enough evidence to send the case to trial. Burke is facing life in prison without parole or the death penalty, if convicted as charged. Prosecutors have not confirmed whether or not they will seek the death sentence.