A judge ruled on Monday, July 27, that prosecutors had shown enough evidence to send d4vdThe murder case is to be heard. For Celeste Rivas HernandezThe verdict closed a difficult chapter for the family.
The five-day preliminary hearing ended when the family chose to speak through their lawyer rather than appear on camera themselves.
Relief for the family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, as D4vd is ordered to stand trial
“The family is relieved that this happened,” the lawyer said. patrick steinfeld Clara Shortridge Foltz told reporters outside the Criminal Justice Center, People Informed. He said he planned to take a leave of absence and wanted to recognize the work of the district attorney’s office and the LAPD investigation.
Steinfeld said the Hernandez family also thanked the reporters. He added, “They are private people, and so they hope you will understand that even though they have not come forward to the media, they are grateful for the continued media coverage and keeping Celeste’s name in the news.”
The decision in the court case came after testimony about the singer, whose real name is David Anthony Burke. Prosecutors accused him of stabbing a 14-year-old boy from Lake Elsinore, California, to death on April 23, 2025, alleging he had threatened highlight their relationship.
Investigators later found her remains in the front trunk of her Tesla on September 8, 2025, days after the vehicle was seized near her Hollywood Hills home. Burke, 21, was arrested in April 2026. He was charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances. sexual act With a child and dismembered human remains.
Prosecutors allege the two began talking in August 2022, when Rivas was 11 years old. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman He said his office was still considering whether to seek the death penalty. Burke otherwise faces life without parole.
“It has been a parent’s worst nightmare, hearing the gruesome details of their child being killed, dismembered and discarded as garbage,” Hochman said.
Burke has pleaded innocent and is being held without bail. His arraignment is scheduled for August 31, and the D4VD trial is expected to take place within 60 days.
Tell us what your thoughts are for Celeste’s family as this case moves forward?
Originally reported by Aashna Gaur Mandatory