Renowned singer David Burke, who performs under the stage name D4vd, has emerged as the prime suspect in the tragic case of a California teenager, Celeste Rivas Hernandez, aged 14.
According to court documents recently made public and obtained by The Associated Press, Burke is suspected of potentially being involved in criminal activities against California law, specifically, “One count of Murder.”
These documents, dated January 15, clearly identify Burke as the central figure in the ongoing investigation led by a Los Angeles grand jury into the circumstances surrounding Celeste’s death.
Though the California authorities had initially kept the grand jury proceedings confidential, the information was disclosed following a legal challenge by Burke’s family in Texas. They contested subpoenas compelling them to testify, as earlier reported by CrimeOnline.
A Texas judge dismissed the objections presented by Burke’s mother, father, and brother, ruling that they must comply with the subpoenas. Consequently, the family has been mandated to appear in California to provide their testimonies.
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Los Angeles police found Celeste’s remains a day shy of her 15th birthday, on September 8, inside the trunk of Burke’s vehicle. The Tesla had initially been parked near his rental home, in the Hollywood Hills Bird Streets neighborhood.
Police later found the vehicle at a tow yard in Hollywood after residents in Hollywood Hills contacted police about an abandoned car with a Texas license plate on September 6.
The unsealed documents detailed the victim’s horrific state, with two bags containing body parts found in the vehicle.
The Tesla trunk and a cadaver bag were “covered with insects and a strong odor of decay.”
“Upon removing the cadaver bag from the front storage compartment, it was discovered the arms and legs had been severed from the body,” the document stated.
“A second black bag was discovered underneath the cadaver bag. Upon opening the second bag, the dismembered body parts were discovered.”
In November, Los Angeles police got a judge to prevent Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Odey Ukpo from releasing the findings of the autopsy.
No cause of death has been revealed but the case is being treated as a homicide.
D4vd’s representatives have not responded to any requests for comment made by the Associated Press. The District Attorney’s Office formally declined to comment on the ongoing grand jury proceedings.
With Burke’s inner circle now legally bound to testify, the investigation moves into a critical phase that could determine whether a formal indictment is handed down against the Houston-born star.
Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo: Celeste Rivas/GoFundMe and D4vd in 2024/Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP]
