Possible bloodstains were detected at D4vd’s home, law enforcement testify | Los Angeles
At singer D4vd’s former home in the Hollywood Hills, law enforcement detected possible blood stains invisible to the naked eye on items such as a green linoleum, black rubber mats and a crumpled inflatable pool that smelled of fresh laundry.
The gory details came to light Wednesday, the second day of a hearing to determine whether the musician, whose full name is David Anthony Burke, had probable cause to stand trial for the murder and sexual assault of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
Rivas Hernandez’s body was found in horrific conditions in a car registered to the musician’s name last year.
Prosecutors accuse Burke of stabbing Rivas Hernandez, 14, to death at her Los Angeles home, preventing her from revealing the sexual nature of their relationship and jeopardizing her fast-rising career.
Burke has pleaded not guilty to charges including first-degree murder, “lewd and lascivious acts” on a child under 14, and destruction of human remains. The defense team said their client had “no cause” for Rivas Hernandez’s death.
Last September, Lauren Wallace, a criminalist with the Los Angeles Police Department, found two chainsaws in the garage of a Hollywood Hills home where the Houston-raised musician lived. Saws tested negative for possible blood.
However, Wallace testified that there were probably blood stains on the rubber mats covering the garage floor. Linear cuts consistent with a sharp object were found on the mats.
Wallace also observed the damage to the pool. “It looks like it was cut,” he said.
Chelsea Murillo, another criminalist in the LAPD’s forensic division, examined the 2023 black Tesla Model X containing Rivas Hernandez’s remains.
Murillo said Wednesday that a layer of dust covered the exterior of the vehicle, indicating that it had been outside for a long time. Observed maggots and flies in the front trunk. He said even though he had multiple air fresheners, there was a strong odor coming from the car that resembled a decomposing body. Possible traces of blood were found in the third row of the Tesla.
Defense attorney Blair Berk was skeptical of the findings of the criminalists’ forensic tests.
“This is just an assumption. This does not mean that you found blood,” Berk asked during his cross-examination of Murillo.
“Yes,” Murillo replied.
The extent of the singer’s earnings also became clear Wednesday as prosecutors sought to establish that the musician had financial motivation to kill Rivas Hernandez. An executive from his former label, Interscope, testified that Burke had a multimillion-dollar recording deal.
The company terminated its contract in December 2025.
From 2022 to 2025, Interscope paid Burke and affiliates more than $7.2 million, according to a summary of payments presented to the courtroom; This figure included legal fees and a trust required by California law for underage artists.
The details of Burke’s compensation followed a sharp exchange in the morning as prosecutors challenged the defense’s claim that they had no knowledge of their client’s financial situation.
Burke’s attorneys repeatedly objected to assistant district attorney Beth Silverman’s questions about whether the singer’s former chief financial officer, Benjamin Gregor, knew that Burke had arranged tickets for Rivas Hernandez to travel to London and his home in Texas.
Rivas Hernandez’s parents, Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, returned to court Wednesday. The duo, dressed all in black, were sitting in the first row with their lawyers.
When prosecutors presented a photo of her daughter’s passport, which a Caltrans employee found in January 2026 in the embankment off State Route 154 in Santa Barbara, Martinez bowed her head and wiped her eyes in the afternoon.
“When he found the card, he Googled the name to see if there was anyone locally in the area. He started seeing articles and news, and when he realized what he found, he called our dispatch,” California highway patrol officer Sean Buenrostro said on the stand.
At the beginning of the trial, prosecutors showed stunning photographs of Rivas Hernandez’s dismembered body and claimed that the singer had severely mutilated Rivas Hernandez’s remains. They also presented evidence showing the singer used his credit cards to buy chainsaws, body bags and shovels.
The preliminary hearing is expected to last three to five days.
Burke, now 21, was arrested in April and has been held without bail since then. He appeared in court wearing an orange jumpsuit and thick black glasses.
If convicted of murder, he could face the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Prosecutors have not yet indicated whether they will pursue the death penalty.
After court ended Wednesday, Rivas Hernandez family attorney Patrick Steinfeld spoke to reporters outside.
“This is a tough thing for the family. They’re very private people and they’re doing the best they can,” Rivas said in response to a question about how Hernandez’s parents reacted to the evidence presented about Tesla.
“There’s a hole in their hearts that can never be replaced,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
