A police detective told a Los Angeles court that the body of a teenage girl found in the trunk of singer D4vd’s car was so badly decomposed it was “unrecognizable.”
Detective Joshua Byers testified Tuesday during a preliminary hearing for 21-year-old David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, who is charged with murder and other offenses in the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
The girl’s remains were discovered in Burke’s Tesla in September 2024, just days before her 15th birthday. Byers said officers noticed a “distinctive smell” when the trunk was opened at a tow yard.
According to testimony, the remains were dismembered and stored in bags. The court heard that the level of decomposition, along with insect activity, made identification difficult.
Prosecutors allege Burke had known the victim since she was 11 and began a sexual relationship with her at age 13. They claim he killed her after she threatened to expose the relationship.
Body camera footage shown in court captured Burke telling deputies the girl had said she was 18, despite others stating she was 13.
Burke has pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, continuous sexual abuse of a minor, and mutilation of human remains. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment or the death penalty.
The preliminary hearing is expected to last several days as a judge determines whether the case will proceed to trial.
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