Preliminary hearing defines the future of the singer D4vd
A Los Angeles judge will decide this week if there is enough evidence to bring the singer D4vd to trial, accused of the death and discovery of remains of a 14-year-old minor. The victim reportedly threatened to expose their relationship.
The hearing, without a jury, will last four days. Judge Charlaine Olmedo will evaluate whether the prosecution demonstrated probable cause. D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, 21, was arrested in April and pleaded not guilty to murder, continuous sexual assault of a minor and unlawful mutilation of human remains.
According to prosecutors, evidence indicates that Burke took the victim to a home in the Hollywood Hills, stabbed her multiple times and then dismembered her body in the garage with chainsaws. The minor, originally from Lake Elsinore, California, was picked up in a car on the night of April 23, 2025. Her phone stopped working after arriving at the home.
Investigators found Burke’s DNA on blood stains in the garage, as well as records of purchases of chainsaws and paddling pools used to separate the remains. The decomposing body was found months later in the trunk of a Tesla registered to the defendant, parked near his home.
A relationship that began when she was 11 years old
Court documents detail that Burke met the victim when she was 11 years old. He began sexually abusing her at 13. When the minor threatened to report him, he allegedly killed her. Text messages and photos of sexual content are part of the evidence.
The defense, led by attorney Blair Berk, maintains that Burke is not responsible. He has not publicly presented his version of the events. The singer remains detained without bail and was denied wearing a suit at the hearing.
Before the arrest, Burke was experiencing a musical rise with songs that mixed indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop, going viral on TikTok and Spotify. His career was put on hold behind bars.
