Dark Secrets Revealed: Parents Aware of Pop Singer’s Relationship with Teen Before Grisly Chainsaw Dismemberment

In the shocking case surrounding the tragic death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, unsettling details have surfaced during courtroom testimonies. Found lifeless and dismembered in a Tesla owned by rising singer David “D4vd” Burke, it has emerged that Hernandez’s interactions with the accused were not entirely hidden from her parents.

Court proceedings uncovered that her parents took decisive actions to end their daughter’s connection with Burke, as stated by the prosecutors. Measures included confiscating Celeste’s phone and alerting authorities when she disappeared from home. However, Burke allegedly circumvented their efforts by offering $1,000 to a high school student to deliver a replacement phone to Hernandez.

As the preliminary hearing, lasting a week, draws to a close, compelling evidence from text messages was presented by Detective Corey Ferrel of the Los Angeles Police Department. These exchanges between Hernandez and Burke were highlighted on Monday, as reported by FOX 11 Los Angeles.

However, in a twist, Burke’s legal team contended that Hernandez’s family had granted approval for at least some of their interactions. To support this, they produced a signed document from Celeste’s parents permitting her to travel to London with Burke, according to reports. Additionally, it was noted that Celeste’s sister accompanied them on a trip to Las Vegas. In several text messages, Hernandez allegedly misrepresented her age to Burke, claiming to be both 16 and 18.

The judge ultimately accepted the prosecution’s case and cleared a path to trial. Burke could face the death penalty if convicted, although California has a moratorium on carrying out capital punishment. Prosecutors have not yet made the decision on whether they will seek it.

Burke is accused of killing Celeste two days before his debut album was released — after prosecutors say she threatened to expose him as a child molester when he turned his attention toward other females.

“D4vd allegedly squandered his fame and fortune by brutally killing a young girl because he feared their illicit sexual relationship would ruin his aspiring career,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. “The only headlines that will accompany his stage name from here forward will be about the vicious murder of a young girl.”

According to prosecutors, Burke invited Celeste to his home in Hollywood Hills on April 23, 2025. They said an Uber dropped her off, and that was the last time she was seen alive.

The next morning, Burke sat for a radio interview about his forthcoming album and then began a series of what prosecutors allege were suspicious online purchased — a shove, three chainsaws, a body bag and a blue kiddie pool. Some of the items were ordered using an alias, according to the Los Angeles DA’s Office.

Burke is accused of stabbing Celeste to death shortly after she arrived, then dismembering her with a chainsaw in the pool in his garage, where investigators allegedly found DNA consistent with the victim’s.

Then on Sept. 8, 2025, Burke’s abandoned Tesla was impounded, and police found Celeste’s decomposing remains inside, according to prosecutors. There were fragments of the pool plastic “embedded” in her remains.

Burke is due back in court on Aug. 31 for an arraignment hearing.