A Los Angeles judge heard testimony from Benjamin Gregor, the money manager for indie‑pop singer D4vd, on Wednesday. Gregor told the court he was aware only of the victim's first name, Celeste Rivas Hernandez, before the 14‑year‑old's dismembered remains were found in the trunk of the singer's Tesla. The testimony formed part of the second day of a preliminary hearing that will decide whether there is sufficient evidence to send David Burke – known onstage as D4vd – to trial on charges of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and mutilation of human remains.
Prosecutors allege Burke stabbed the teenager to stop her from exposing their relationship, which they say began when she was 13 and he was 18. They presented evidence that Burke ordered a body bag, chainsaws, an inflatable pool and a shovel online, items later recovered from his garage after a search warrant. The dismembered body was located in the car's front trunk after the vehicle was towed from a Hollywood yard four and a half months after the killing.
The fact that D4vd's money manager knew the victim's first name before her body was found raises questions about how widely knowledge of her presence was shared among those close to the singer. This matters because it could influence whether prosecutors can prove a pattern of concealment or complicity in the lead-up to the discovery of the remains.
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