Judge postpones D4vd murder hearing to July 21

Singer David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday, June 17, where a judge postponed a critical hearing in his murder case for a third time. The 21-year-old musician, charged with the murder and mutilation of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, will now face a probable cause hearing starting July 21. A status conference is scheduled for July 7.

Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo of the Los Angeles County Superior Court granted the defense’s request for more time to review evidence, citing a sealed declaration from one of Burke’s lead attorneys. The upcoming hearing, expected to last several days, will determine if prosecutors have sufficient evidence to proceed to a jury trial. Burke, who appeared in an orange jail uniform and nodded along during the brief proceeding, remains in custody without bail.

Burke was arrested on April 16 and formally charged on April 20 with first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. Special circumstance allegations of lying in wait, murder for financial gain, and murder of a witness make him ineligible for bail and expose him to a potential...