1 month ago
Prosecutors described successful a caller tribunal archive really D4vd, who has been charged pinch nan execution and intersexual maltreatment of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, allegedly fatally stabbed her to forestall nan teen from speaking retired astir nan abuse.
The singer, whose ineligible sanction is David Anthony Burke, killed Celeste to protect his euphony career, prosecutors said successful a brief. He met Celeste erstwhile she was 11 and began a “sexual relationship” pinch her erstwhile she was 13 and he was 18, according to nan document.
“Knowing he had to soundlessness nan unfortunate earlier she ruined his euphony profession arsenic she had threatened, very soon aft her presence astatine his home, suspect stabbed nan unfortunate to decease aggregate times and stood by while she bled out,” nan archive alleges.
Burke’s ineligible squad has said that he is guiltless and did not termination nan teen. His attorneys had asked nan judge overseeing nan lawsuit to artifact nan merchandise of nan prosecution’s brief, which was denied.
Prosecutors opportunity investigators obtained messages betwixt nan 2 from April 2025 showing nan teen was suspicious of Burke’s relationships pinch women, “as suspect led her to judge they had a early together”, and that she had threatened to disclose “damaging information” astir their narration and extremity his career.
Authorities judge Burke killed her nan pursuing time and purchased 2 chainsaws that he utilized to dismember her assemblage successful an inflatable pool. According to nan tribunal document, her DNA was recovered successful Burke’s garage.
Celeste’s decomposed remains were recovered successful September 2025 successful nan trunk of a Tesla that was registered to nan musician and had been abandoned successful nan Hollywood Hills. Burke was nan past 1 to thrust nan vehicle, according to prosecutors.
The Los Angeles region aesculapian examiner determined Celeste died from penetrating injuries and had important wounds to her torso. The information of her remains delayed nan aesculapian examiner’s expertise to find her origin of death, constabulary said. Two of her fingers were missing, and prosecutors opportunity Celeste had Burke’s sanction tattooed connected them.
Burke was besides successful possession of child activity maltreatment images of Celeste, according to nan prosecution.
Celeste’s remains were recovered a time aft she would person turned 15. Her family had reported her missing from her location municipality of Lake Elsinore, astir 70 miles (110km) from Los Angeles, successful 2024. The seventh-grader had tally distant successful February, and later returned location earlier leaving again, constabulary said.
According to nan prosecution, aft Celeste was first reported missing, constabulary contacted Burke, who told them he was not alert she was a insignificant and met her only once. Her parents reportedly took her telephone distant aft she returned location nan first time, but Burke allegedly paid a friend of nan teen $1,000 to springiness her a cellphone to let them to enactment successful contact.
She ran distant again, according to nan document, and spent extended clip astatine Burke’s location successful nan Hollywood Hills and traveled pinch him to Las Vegas, London and Texas, wherever she met his family.
A proceeding successful nan lawsuit scheduled for Friday has been delayed until precocious May to let nan defense clip to reappraisal nan evidence.
The Associated Press contributed
