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Celeste Rivas Hernandez’ family “horrified” by images shown in D4vd hearing
The family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez said they were horrified after graphic images were shown at the first day of singer D4vd’s preliminary hearing in Los Angeles. The hearing is intended to determine whether prosecutors have sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to a full trial; D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Burke is charged with the first-degree murder of 14-year-old Hernandez, lewd acts with a child and dismemberment in connection with her death in April 2025. Prosecutors allege he kept her body in his Tesla, later found in a Hollywood tow yard in September, and presented evidence including crime-scene photographs, body-camera footage and testimony about purchases made before her death. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment or the death penalty, although prosecutors had not decided whether to seek the latter.
In short
- Hernandez’s family were shown graphic evidence at D4vd’s preliminary hearing.
- D4vd denies murder, child sex-offence and dismemberment charges.
- The hearing will decide whether the case goes to trial.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Open justice is fundamental to accountability and public confidence in the legal system; the defendant is constitutionally entitled to confront the evidence prosecutors present at preliminary hearings, where probable cause must be demonstrated openly in court. Advocates for full transparency argue that whilst victims' families deserve respect and support, the judicial process cannot accommodate requests to conceal evidence or limit public access to proceedings, as this could enable unfair advantage or procedural irregularities to go undetected. Justice depends on seeing that evidence exists and the process is fair, and legal principles cannot be abandoned to avoid difficult emotions, however understandable.
The case against
Victim protection and transparent justice are not incompatible; the purpose of a preliminary hearing is to establish probable cause, not to display graphic imagery of a murdered child to grieving family members and the public. Prosecutors can present evidence effectively through expert testimony and factual findings without showing photographs of remains, and modern legal systems increasingly recognise that victims' dignity rights matter. Advocates argue that restricting the gratuitous public display of graphic imagery respects both the judicial process and basic human compassion, and that justice does not require maximising the family's trauma in the name of openness.
Explained simply
Celeste Rivas Hernandez was 14 when she died in April 2025. David Anthony Burke, the singer known as D4vd, is charged in connection with her death and has pleaded not guilty. He also faces charges of lewd acts with a child and dismemberment.
A preliminary hearing is an early court proceeding where a judge considers whether prosecutors have enough evidence for a case to go to trial. The case drew attention after Hernandez’s body was found in a Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard months after her death. The charges carry the possibility of life imprisonment or the death penalty if Burke is convicted.