A Los Angeles judge has ruled that the murder case against singer D4vd — legal name David Burke — will proceed to trial, capping a dayslong preliminary hearing that included graphic investigator testimony.

Burke was arrested in April 2026 and charged with first-degree murder, sexual abuse of a child and unlawful mutilation of human remains in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. He has pleaded not guilty to all three charges and remains held without bail.

A post-preliminary arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 31, and a trial is expected to take place within 90 days of that date.

The bound-over decision means prosecutors met California's probable-cause threshold on all three felony counts, keeping the most serious charges intact.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman told reporters outside the courthouse that his office presented only a 'small fraction of our evidence' at the hearing and said the evidence at trial would be 'overwhelming to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.'

He also confirmed prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty. An attorney for Rivas Hernandez's family said they are relieved the case is moving forward and thanked the district attorney's office and the LAPD for their hard work.

Over five days, prosecutors called a dozen witnesses.

An LAPD criminalist testified the impounded Tesla held at least 11 air fresheners, and a rubber mat in Burke's garage bore cuts and red marks that tested positive for blood matching Rivas Hernandez's DNA profile, according to testimony cited by ABC News.

Blue plastic fragments embedded in the teen's right knee were determined to be a physical fit with a damaged inflatable pool found in the garage.

Prosecutors allege Burke dismembered her body, amputating her left ring and pinky fingers because the ring finger carried a tattoo of his name, and ordered chainsaws and other items under the alias 'Travion Davis' days after she was last seen alive.

An LAPD detective specializing in cellphone records testified that D4vd's phone and Tesla traveled three times to a desolate Santa Barbara County road — first the night of April 23, 2025, when prosecutors say Rivas Hernandez was last seen alive, and twice more in May.

Court testimony included her final text message that night — 'almost there open ur door if u are home' — and Burke's reply, 'got uuu'; she never messaged again, and prosecutors allege his continued texts asking where she was were part of a cover-up.

Both wore matching 'Shhh...' tattoos on their right index fingers, and both had tattoos on their left ring fingers — hers of his name, which her amputated fingers would have carried.

Burke's attorneys — Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter — say they plan to 'vigorously defend' his innocence, stating the actual evidence will show he did not murder Rivas Hernandez and was not the cause of her death.

At the hearing's start, ABC7 reports, Burke appeared in an orange jail uniform and shackles; his attorneys' request to remove the shackles was denied, though his handcuffs were removed.

Prosecutors' financial witnesses, including a manager and an Interscope Records finance employee, testified he generated about $11 million between 2023 and 2025. With the arraignment set for Aug.

31 and trial expected within 90 days of it, the case now moves toward a jury.