Warning: This article includes some details readers might find distressing
As we approach the second anniversary of Celeste Rivas Hernandez running away from home, there's hope that her family can finally get some closure after her decomposing remains were found in the trunk of a car registered to singer D4vd.
Under the stage name of D4vd, David Anthony Burke's career has shot up from making Fortnite montages with his own music to avoid copyright strikes. While in the middle of his Withered World Tour, a foul smell was reported emanating from the back of a Tesla that was registered to the singer.
The body was eventually identified as Hernandez, with a flurry of questions about whether she knew D4vd due to seemingly matching tattoos and reports of a leaked track called "Celeste". Burke was criticized for throwing Labubus into the crowd just hours after Celeste's decomposed remains were first discovered, although the "Romantic Homicide" artist's team has maintained his innocence.
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With D4vd's tour canceled, a statement confirmed he was "fully cooperating with the authorities."
As reported by the Associated Press, newly unsealed court filings have confirmed that Burke is now the 'target' of a grand jury investigation. D4vd's father, Dawud Burke, fought the summons in a Texas court, but while doing so, included materials from the California case that were previously unseen by the public.
The grand jury investigation in Los Angeles states that Burke could be subject to proceedings for one count of murder.
The subpoena reiterates that investigators who were searching the 2023 Tesla Model Y found a cadaver bag that was "covered with insects and a strong odor of decay." It adds that "detectives partially unzipped the bag and observed a decomposed head and torso."
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office attended the scene, with the documents concluding: "Upon removing the cadaver bag from the front storage compartment, it was discovered the arms and legs had been severed from the body.
"A second black bag was discovered underneath the cadaver bag. Upon opening the second bag, the dismembered body parts were discovered.”
The Medical Examiner’s Office suggested that Rivas Hernandez's body was so badly decomposed, she'd likely been dead for an extended period of time before she was discovered in the tow yard. The Tesla was initially towed from an upscale neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills. The cause of death for Rivas Hernandez is yet to be confirmed.
A Texas judge said that Burke's family couldn't ignore subpoenas and were ordered to testify in California.
Dawud Burke, wife Colleen, and son Caleb argued that the summons violated their right to due process because of redacted information. Dawud Burke's attorney added: "The Court ordered Mr. Burke to travel across the country to appear before a California grand jury without ever allowing him to see the full documents that justified the extraordinary compulsion."
David Anthony Burke hasn't been named as a suspect, and an indictment hasn't been announced, although US media states that proceedings are ongoing.
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