D4vd walked into the Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday in an orange jail uniform and waist shackles, his legal team already preparing for another delay in what’s becoming a pattern of postponements in his murder case.
The platinum-selling “Romantic Homicide” singer, 21, received his third hearing delay after his defense team requested additional time to review evidence, pushing the probable cause hearing from June 29 to July 21 with a status conference scheduled for July 7.
Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo found “good cause” to continue the hearing after reviewing a sealed declaration from one of Burke’s lead defense attorneys, Marilyn Bednarski.
The judge noted the upcoming hearing will span multiple days with numerous witnesses, and prosecutors must prove they have sufficient evidence to move forward with a jury trial.
D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, pleaded not guilty and nodded along as the judge spoke, his lead attorney Blair Berk declining to comment as she exited the courthouse.
The case centers on the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered remains were discovered September 8, 2025, in the trunk of D4vd’s Tesla after the vehicle was towed from near his Hollywood Hills rental home.
Prosecutors allege D4vd met Rivas when she was 11 and initiated a sexual relationship when she turned 13, later paying a classmate $1,000 for a secret phone to maintain contact after authorities informed him of her age.
Prosecutors claim text messages between the two reference sex, pregnancy, and abortion, and that Rivas threatened to expose the relationship to destroy D4vd’s music career.
They allege he stabbed her multiple times after she arrived at his home on April 23, 2025, then stood by as she bled out.
The filing states D4vd purchased tools including chainsaws, a body bag, and an inflatable pool under a fake name, using the pool to prevent blood from spilling onto his garage floor before dismembering her body.
D4vd faces first-degree murder charges with special circumstance allegations of lying in wait, murder for financial gain, and murder of a witness, making him ineligible for bail.
He’s also charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. Prosecutors discovered blood evidence in his garage matching Rivas’ DNA profile, and D4vd allegedly lied to friends and associates about the smell of decomposition in his home and vehicle.
The District Attorney’s Office has not yet announced whether it will seek the death penalty.
The July 21 hearing will determine whether prosecutors have built a strong enough case to proceed to trial.