DNA Evidence Presented in D4vd Murder Trial of 14-Year-Old Girl

Platinum-selling singer D4vd sat silently in a Los Angeles courtroom Thursday as forensic experts laid out a detailed case linking his DNA to evidence recovered from his Hollywood Hills home. The testimony centered on a trash bag discovered during a September 2025 search that prosecutors say contained crucial biological material connected to the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

LAPD criminalist Samantha Tosch explained that DNA swabs from the trash bag revealed a mixture of genetic material from four people, including D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke. A separate wipe found inside the bag contained DNA 3 trillion times more likely to match Rivas than any unknown person.

The Physical Evidence Trail

The forensic testimony painted a disturbing picture of what prosecutors allege happened in Burke’s garage. Clorox-type wipes covered in brown stains tested positive for blood using chemical detection methods. Samples from a rowing machine, black rubber mat, Tesla charger, and green tarp all matched Rivas’ DNA profile.

But perhaps most damning was the testimony about the inflatable pool. Criminalist Lisa LaHendro compared blue plastic fragments recovered from Rivas’ remains against the pool found in Burke’s garage. Under a high-powered microscope, the edges aligned perfectly, like puzzle pieces fitting together. “They were both once one object at one time,” LaHendro testified.

Defense Challenges the Evidence

Defense attorney Blair Berk mounted a vigorous cross-examination, arguing that the DNA evidence wasn’t definitive. She pointed out that DNA can be transferred to objects without direct contact and questioned the software calculations used by LAPD. When Berk suggested that the testing “wasn’t saying David Burke’s DNA was definitively found,” Tosch acknowledged this was fair, though she maintained her professional opinion that Burke’s DNA was present on the trash bag.

The defense has also questioned why investigators didn’t conduct more extensive touch DNA testing on other items in the home.

Building a Timeline

Beyond the forensics, Detective William Roecker presented cell tower and Tesla location data that corroborated the prosecution’s timeline. On April 23, 2025, the night of the alleged murder, Burke’s phone and vehicle left his home around 11:31 p.m. and traveled to a remote area in Santa Barbara County. His phone called Rivas’ number around 12:04 a.m., though the call went unanswered. The pair returned home at 7 a.m.

Roecker testified that Burke and his Tesla returned to the same remote area twice more: May 8 and May 31. Significantly, a transit worker found Rivas’ U.S. passport card in that exact area months later, on January 7, 2026.

The Bigger Picture

The trial has revealed a deeply troubling pattern of alleged behavior. Prosecutors claim Burke met Rivas online, then purchased her a secret phone and paid a classmate $1,000 to deliver it. He allegedly bought airline tickets and traveled with her to Texas and London. Most damning, he had “Celeste” tattooed in red cursive on his left ring finger.

When arrested, Burke told authorities in February 2024 that he believed Rivas was 18. Yet LAPD found evidence suggesting he went to great lengths to hide the relationship, eventually allegedly killing her to cover up the sexual abuse.

Foreign DNA experts have also noted that investigators discovered at least 11 air fresheners inside Burke’s Tesla, including one found near where Rivas’ dismembered remains had been concealed. The inflatable pool where he allegedly dismembered her body contained a “fresh, almost laundry-like scent” when examined months later.

Burke has pleaded not guilty to murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. At the conclusion of this probable cause hearing, the judge will determine whether sufficient evidence exists to send the case to trial. Burke faces life without parole or the death penalty if convicted on all charges.

Source material from Rolling Stone

The question isn’t just whether the evidence proves Burke’s guilt, but how a high-profile artist allegedly managed to hide such violence in plain sight for so long.