The long-delayed preliminary hearing for singer d4vd formally began Tuesday, July 21, in a Los Angeles County courtroom, more than a year after 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was reported missing and nearly a year after her remains were discovered.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo is presiding over the hearing, which is expected to stretch across several days as prosecutors present evidence and witness testimony. The proceeding will determine whether there is sufficient evidence for the case against d4vd - whose legal name is David Anthony Burke - to proceed to a full trial. A preliminary hearing does not decide guilt or innocence.
Burke, 21, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child, and mutilation of human remains. He has been held without bond since his arrest in April. His attorney, Blair Berk, confirmed the defense was ready to proceed after the hearing was postponed multiple times since originally being scheduled for May 1.
Celeste, of Lake Elsinore, California, was remembered by those who knew her as a hardworking student with academic honors. A family attorney has said the Rivas Hernandez family will not be speaking publicly during the proceedings, citing the depth of their grief.
The case, which has drawn national media attention, comes as d4vd's music career remains in limbo, with earlier reporting noting an unexplained, brief reappearance of unreleased material on his streaming profile last week.
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