Prosecutors argue D4vd had financial motivation to kill Celeste Rivas Hernandez

Gory details about tarp, mats and inflatable pool come to light during hearing over death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez

At singer D4vd’s former Hollywood Hills home, law enforcement detected possible bloodstains – invisible to the naked eye – on items including a green tarp, black rubber mats and a crumpled inflatable pool that had the odor of fresh laundry.

The gory details came to light on Wednesday, the second day of a hearing to determine whether there was probable cause for the musician, whose full name is David Anthony Burke, to stand trial for the murder and sexual abuse of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Rivas Hernandez’s body was found last year in gruesome conditions in a car registered to the musician.

Prosecutors accuse Burke of stabbing Rivas Hernandez, 14, to death at his Los Angeles residence to silence her from divulging the sexual nature of their relationship and jeopardizing his skyrocketing career.

Burke has pleaded not guilty to charges that include first-degree murder, “lewd and lascivious acts” with a child under the age of 14, and the mutilation of human remains. His defense team has said their client “was not the cause” of Rivas Hernandez’s death.

Last September, Lauren Wallace, a criminalist with the Los Angeles police department, found two chainsaws in the garage of a Hollywood Hills home where the Houston-raised musician had been living. The chainsaws tested negative for possible blood.

Rubber mats covering a garage floor, however, likely had blood stains, Wallace testified. Linear cuts, consistent with that of a sharp object, were found on the mats.

Wallace also observed damage to the pool. “It appeared that it had been cut,” she said.

Chelsea Murillo, another criminalist in LAPD’s forensic science division, examined the 2023 black Tesla Model X that contained Rivas Hernandez’s remains.

A layer of dust coated the vehicle’s exterior, Murillo said on Wednesday, which suggested it had been outside for a prolonged period. In the front trunk, she observed maggots and flies. A strong odor that resembled a decomposing body came from the car, she said, even amid multiple air fresheners. Possible traces of blood were found in the Tesla’s third row.

Defense attorney Blair Berk cast skepticism over the findings of the criminalists’ forensic testing.

It’s “only presumptive. It doesn’t mean you found blood,” Berk asked during her cross-examination of Murillo.

The scope of the singer’s earnings also came into clear view on Wednesday, as prosecutors sought to establish the musician had financial motivation to kill Rivas Hernandez. Burke had a multimillion-dollar recording deal, an executive at his former label, Interscope, testified.

The label terminated his contract in December 2025.

From 2022 to 2025, Interscope paid Burke and affiliated entities more than $7.2m, a figure that encompassed legal fees and a trust mandated by California law for underage entertainers, according to a summary of payments exhibited to the courtroom.

Details of Burke’s compensation followed a testy exchange in the morning, as prosecutors countered the defense’s suggestion that their client was not privy to his finances.

Attorneys for Burke repeatedly objected to questions from deputy district attorney Beth Silverman about whether the singer’s former financial manager, Benjamin Gregor, knew of Burke arranging tickets for Rivas Hernandez to travel to London and his home in Texas.

Rivas Hernandez’s parents, Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, returned to court on Wednesday. Dressed in all black, the two sat in the first row, accompanied by their lawyer.

Martinez dropped her head and wiped her eyes in the early afternoon, when prosecutors presented a photograph of her daughter’s passport, which a Caltrans employee discovered in January 2026 in a dirt embankment off State Route 154 in Santa Barbara.

“Once he found the card, he Googled the name to try and see if it was someone that lived locally in the area. He began seeing articles and news stories and when he realized what he had found, he called our dispatch,” Sean Buenrostro, a California highway patrol officer, said on the stand.

At the hearing’s start, prosecutors showed graphic photographs of Rivas Hernandez’s dismembered body and alleged the singer had severely mutilated her remains. They also presented evidence they say shows the singer used his credit cards to purchase chainsaws, a body bag and a shovel.

The preliminary hearing is expected to last from three to five days.

Burke, now 21, was arrested in April and has been held in custody since then without bail. He has appeared in court in an orange jumpsuit and thick black glasses.

If convicted of murder, he could face the death penalty, or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Prosecutors have not yet indicated whether they will pursue capital punishment.

After court concluded on Wednesday, Patrick Steinfeld, an attorney for the Rivas Hernandez family, spoke to reporters outside.

“It’s a hard thing for the family. They are very private individuals and they’re doing the best they can,” he said in response to a question about how Rivas Hernandez’s parents reacted to the evidence presented about the Tesla.

“They have a hole in their heart that will never be replaced,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report