The murder case involving singer D4vd entered its second day of the preliminary hearing on Wednesday, with prosecutors revealing details of blood stains and other forensic evidence.
The 21-year-old singer, whose real name is David Burke, has been charged with murder in the killing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose decomposed body was found in the trunk of a Tesla registered to him last year.
Burke has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains in April and is being held without bond ahead of his trial.
5:39
Singer D4vd charged with murder of 14-year-old found in trunk, could face death penalty
During the second day of the hearing, Los Angeles police criminalists described collecting samples of possible blood and DNA from Burke’s garage, where prosecutors allege he dismembered Rivas Hernandez’s body, and from his Tesla, where the teenager’s remains were found months later
On Wednesday, the testimony focused on the forensic evidence authorities said they found that they argue proves he killed Rivas Hernandez and disposed of her body by hiding it in the Tesla.
Lauren Wallace, a criminalist with the Los Angeles Police Department, told the court that she found apparent blood stains on rubber mats on the floor of Burke’s garage.
Prosecutors said in a filing before the hearing that blood found in the garage matched Rivas Hernandez’s DNA
Wallace said she sprayed the large rubber floor mats with a chemical that shows possible blood stains that would not be visible to the naked eye. When the chemical is sprayed, the detected blood traces glow blue.
Get breaking National news
Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won’t miss a trending story.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News’ Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
A photo shared in court showed the entire area of the floor mats had turned bright blue.
Chelsea Murillo, a criminalist with the Los Angeles Police Department, also testified on Wednesday, revealing that Burke’s Tesla had at least 11 air fresheners inside and the decomposing remains of Rivas Hernandez when the car was located.
Murillo said most of the air fresheners were recovered from the centre console of the Tesla, while others were tucked into rear-seat pockets, Rolling Stone reports.
She also spoke about detecting a “strong odour” while she helped process the vehicle on Sept. 9, 2025.
“The odour resembled a decomposing body, based on my professional experience,” she said.
Prosecutors also shared a photo of the air fresheners, one of which showed the large mass of fly larvae covering a Febreze pod near where the body was found
Burke’s lawyer, Blair Berk, asked who had been wearing gloves — or not — with access to the car, and why Murillo didn’t swab for DNA on the outside of the Tesla.
“It didn’t seem necessary,” Murillo responded.
Murillo also said that she was aware that some of the samples had tested positive for blood and the victim’s DNA.
1:35
Decomposed body of missing teen found in singer D4vd’s impounded Tesla
A California Highway Patrol officer testified on Wednesday, telling the judge he collected Rivas Hernandez’s U.S. passport from a transit worker who had found it off a Santa Barbara highway on Jan. 7, 2026, about 150 kilometres northwest of Burke’s Hollywood home.
“Once he found the card, he Googled the name to try and see if it was someone that lived locally in the area. He began seeing articles and news stories and, when he realized what he had found, he called our dispatch,” Sean Buenrostro, the California Highway Patrol officer, said.
Prosecutors have said Burke made two trips to the area, once on the night of the killing and again about six weeks later, where data shows he was at the spot where the passport was found.
Judge to decide if there is enough evidence for trial
This week’s preliminary hearing was the first public presentation of evidence against Burke.
A judge is expected to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to allow the case to proceed to trial following the hearing, which is expected to last three to five days.
“We believe we will more than accomplish the evidentiary burden of probable cause at this point to hold D4vd to answer on these three felony charges,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said outside the courthouse on Tuesday.
“When — we do not predict if — when he is convicted, we will then be seeking the sentence that we are allowed to seek by order of the law and we will let you know at a future date whether or not that sentence will also include the death penalty,” Hochman added.
Hochman noted that his team is not obligated to present all the evidence they plan to share at the trial during the preliminary hearing.
“At the preliminary hearing, we will call a number of officers. We estimate there will be over 10 different witnesses. Both officer testimony, coroner testimony and there will be individual witnesses as well,” he added.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office previously announced that Burke was charged with first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14 and mutilating a body in the killing of Rivas Hernandez. She was reported missing by her family in 2024, when she was 13. Authorities say she was 14 when she died.
The murder charges included special circumstances — lying in wait, committing a crime for financial gain and murdering the witness in an investigation — that could carry the death penalty. Prosecutors haven’t announced whether they will seek it.
—With files from The Associated Press
