Overview
- On Monday the musician David Anthony Burke, known as D4vd, entered a not guilty plea at an arraignment in Los Angeles.
- The high-profile private team that had represented him, including attorney Blair Berk, formally withdrew and the court assigned county public defenders to his case.
- A five-day preliminary hearing in July produced graphic photos and expert testimony on stab wounds, DNA and blood evidence that a judge said was sufficient to send the case to trial.
- Investigators recovered strongly decomposed remains in September 2025 inside black bags in a vehicle registered to Burke, and media reports identify the 14-year-old victim as Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
- The case has drawn intense public attention because of Burke's viral music career and it now moves toward a mid-October court appearance when prosecutors and the judge may set a trial date.