Attorney Admits D4vd’s Trial Could Be Complicated Despite ‘Overwhelming’ Evidence
The artist D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, will go to trial over the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, the sexual abuse of a child, and mutilating human remains. A legal expert explained that while the prosecution has significant evidence against Burke, they may still face challenges at trial.
D4vd will go to trial over the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez
In 2025, Hernandez’s mutilated remains were found in the trunk of Burke’s car. The prosecution alleges that he stabbed her to death to prevent her from disclosing details of their relationship. Burke was 21 and began dating Hernandez when she was just 13 years old.
Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo ruled that prosecutors met the burden of evidence for the charges at the preliminary hearing. As a result, the case will go to trial.
“We believe that the evidence at trial will be overwhelming to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt on the three charges with which Mr. Burke will be charged,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said (via CNN).
An attorney weighed in on the trial for D4vd
Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and president of Los Angeles-based West Coast Trial Lawyers, noted that both sides have a lot to lose. As a result, he believes it is unlikely that they will reach a plea deal.
“The defense knows the prosecution can’t meaningfully seek the death penalty, because California has a moratorium on executions,” he explained. “So instead, D4vd is looking at the specter of life in prison, and his only chance to avoid that fate is to win an acquittal or a conviction on lesser charges at trial.”
He also explained that given the severity of the allegations against Burke, the prosecution cannot seek anything less than life in prison.
He believes that both sides are very competent
The prosecution has a significant amount of evidence against Burke. Despite this, Rahmani explained that much of it is circumstantial, which could complicate things.
“The prosecution’s evidence in this case is strong, maybe even overwhelming,” he said. “But the evidence for the murder is circumstantial, and that’s the heart of the case.”
Still, he explained that prosecutor Beth Silverman has tackled more difficult cases in the past.
“Nevertheless, Beth Silverman is one of the most experienced prosecutors in the DA’s major crimes division,” he said. “Two decades ago, she secured a conviction against a former sheriff’s deputy in the murder of his wife, in a case where investigators had produced no body, no crime scene and no murder weapon. By comparison, this is a cake walk.”
The defense worked hard at the preliminary hearing, though.
“But the defense, at the preliminary hearing, has done a good job of going on the offense against detectives and criminalists, grilling them with hard questions and locking in their answers, so when they go under oath at trial they can’t change their testimony when it really counts.”
Burke’s attorney has said that the “actual evidence” will prove that he was not involved in Hernandez’s murder.
