Lawyers for indie-pop singer D4vd began revealing glimpses into their defense strategy on the third day of a preliminary hearing, pressing police on why they did not conduct more DNA testing on items found in the singer’s home and car, according to Apnews. The hearing will determine whether there is probable cause for D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, to stand trial on charges of murder, child sexual abuse, and mutilation of a body.
Defense Strategy Emerges During Preliminary Hearing
Burke has pleaded not guilty. Defense attorney Blair Berk focused on a pair of small chainsaws found in Burke’s garage, where prosecutors allege he dismembered 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. When Lauren Wallace, a criminalist for the Los Angeles Police Department, testified that testing for DNA at the residence would not make sense because the suspect’s DNA would be everywhere, Berk asked, You were aware that multiple people lived at this residence, right?
Wallace answered affirmatively, according to The Guardian.
Forensic Testimony and Garage Evidence
During the preliminary hearing, Wallace testified about forensic findings at Burke’s former Hollywood Hills residence. According to testimony reported by the Los Angeles Times, Wallace stated she found evidence of blood on gym mats and flooring inside the garage. An ultraviolet light revealed that the mats and brick flooring had likely been stained with blood, and linear cuts were discovered on the gym-style rubber flooring.
Wallace testified that two chainsaws found in the garage tested negative for blood, though investigators never located a 10-inch Makita chainsaw that prosecutors claim Burke purchased in late April and early May. Additionally, Wallace’s team found jugs of fake blood in the garage, which Berk suggested through her questioning had been used by Burke in music videos.
Cellular Tracking and Passport Discovery
A police detective testified that cell-tower tracking of Burke’s phone and a system in his Tesla indicated he was at his Hollywood home on the night of April 23, 2025, which is the time and place prosecutors say Rivas Hernandez was killed. Data showed Burke traveled later that night to a remote part of Santa Barbara County approximately 95 miles to the northwest, and made two subsequent visits to the area in May, as detailed by Infonews.
California Highway Patrol Officer Sean Buenrostro testified that a Caltrans worker found a passport bearing Rivas Hernandez’s name and photograph in January 2026 on a dirt embankment off State Route 154 in Santa Barbara. During cross-examination, defense attorney Regina Peter questioned whether steps were taken to rule out the possibility that the card arrived via weather issues. Prosecutors allege Burke kept the victim’s body for months in the front trunk of his Tesla, where it was discovered after the car was towed in September 2025.
Charges and Legal Proceedings
Burke faces charges including first-degree murder, continuous sexual acts, lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, and mutilating human remains, according to court documents outlined by ABC7. Prosecutors allege that Burke met Rivas Hernandez in January 2022 when she was 11 years old and began a sexual relationship in November 2023 when she turned 13.
During Thursday’s proceedings, Burke wore orange jail clothes and glasses, sitting calmly at the defense table. Rivas Hernandez’s parents sat in the front row observing the technical testimony. The preliminary hearing is expected to conclude by early next week.
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