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(NewsNation) — Prosecutors devoted significant chunks of this week’s preliminary hearing in the murder case against singer D4vd to his multimillion-dollar music career, laying the groundwork for their theory that it provided a motive for the alleged killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

The singer, whose real name is David Burke, is charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances, lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14 and mutilating a body.

This undated photo shows Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the teen whose body was found in a car owned by singer D4vd in September 2025. (image courtesy family)
Celeste Hernandez Rivas, 15, was found dismembered in the trunk of a Tesla at an L.A. tow yard on Sept. 8, 2025. (RCSD)
FILE – A makeshift Memorial for Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who was killed and found inside a vehicle owned by singer D4vd, is placed outside her home in Lake Elsinore, Calif., on April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, file)
A photo of Celeste Rivas Hernandez is displayed Monday, April 20, 2026, in Los Angeles for a press conference regarding the case of singer D4vd, who was arrested on suspicion of killing the 14-year-old girl whose dismembered body was found in his car. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Burke has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

A hearing this week is meant for a judge to determine whether prosecutors have probable cause to send the case to trial.

D4vd’s car had blood stains and nearly dozen cans of air freshener
D4vd’s record deal worth up to $19M, witnesses state in court
Over the course of the week, prosecutors called financial witnesses to the stand who testified Burke’s record deal was worth up to $19 million and that he earned over $10 million from 2023 to 2025.

The witnesses detailed the singer’s contracts and earnings, and while the testimony initially appeared unrelated to the murder allegations, prosecutors appear to be strategically using it to build their theory of motive, former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said.

“He was very successful at a very young age, and that could have all been taken away from him if people found out that he was in a sexual relationship with an underage girl … that’s a lot of reasons to want to kill someone and make them disappear,” he said.

“Money makes people do crazy things. I’m not saying it’s dispositive by itself, but it really tells the story in a way that otherwise really wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense.”

Why money could open the door for the death penalty in D4vd case
Rahmani said prosecutors’ emphasis on Burke’s finances is significant because they allege he committed murder for financial gain, a special circumstance under California law that can make a defendant eligible for the death penalty.

Although California has a moratorium on executions, a conviction on that allegation could still make a defendant eligible for either the death penalty or life without the possibility of parole.

But defense attorney Mark Geragos, who has been following the trial, told NewsNation’s Jesse Weber that prosecutors have not yet connected Burke’s financial success to the alleged murder and are overstating the significance of the financial evidence.

The prosecution’s focus on Burke’s finances is a “pretextual prosecutorial gambit or gamesmanship” by them to support the financial-gain special circumstance, he said.

Detective in D4vd case describes decomposed remains, severed limbs
Geragos said the special circumstance keeps Burke in custody without bail and makes it harder for him to defend the case.

In this courtroom sketch, David Anthony Burke, whose stage name is D4vd, is seen in court Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Los Angeles on charges of killing a 14-year-old girl whose dismembered body was found in his car. (Bill Robles via AP)
FILE – In this courtroom sketch, David Anthony Burke, whose stage name is D4vd, is seen in court, April 23, 2026, in Los Angeles on charges of killing a 14-year-old girl whose dismembered body was found in his car. (Bill Robles via AP, file)
“This is not by any stretch of the imagination a financial crime or done for finances,” he said.

Rahmani said motive is not something prosecutors need to prove at a preliminary hearing, but it becomes more important if the case reaches a jury because jurors will likely want to understand why someone would do this.

Rahmani said prosecutors have not yet presented much evidence about Burke’s alleged relationship with Rivas Hernandez, which he expects will further support their motive theory.

Text messages and other communications between the two could become some of the most significant evidence as the hearing continues.

SOURCE: https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/d4vd-record-deal-murder-death-penalty/