Judge Sets January Status Hearing in D4vd Murder Case
The scheduling signals advancing trial preparation while counsel changes, massive digital records, and disputed financial claims raise the prospect of longer pretrial delays.
Overview
- A Los Angeles judge scheduled a status conference for January 11, 2027, in the case against singer David Anthony Burke, who pleaded not guilty to charges tied to the 2025 death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
- Prosecutors have charged Burke with capital murder plus special-circumstance allegations including lying in wait, murder for financial gain, and killing a witness, and he faces counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and mutilation of human remains.
- Investigators and prosecutors relied on extensive digital evidence shown at a July preliminary hearing — iCloud records, explicit photos and forensic testimony from the deputy medical examiner — that a judge found sufficient to send the case toward trial.
- Burke was arrested April 16, 2025, his victim’s dismembered remains were found in his Tesla in September 2025, and three private defense lawyers withdrew in August 2026 before the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office took over his criminal defense.
- Reporting has raised disputed claims that Burke earned large music revenues and that assets may have been transferred or hidden, and the victim’s family has a pending civil suit that also alleges, on information and belief, a possible additional person’s involvement.