Overview
- Prosecutors in Los Angeles, in Wednesday court filings, described an alleged stabbing in April 2025 and a plan to cut up 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez with two chainsaws in an inflatable pool.
- The filings say David Anthony Burke ordered tools under a false name, amputated a ring finger that bore his name, and hid remains in the front trunk of his Tesla later found on a tow lot in September 2025.
- Investigators cite large volumes of digital material, including texts and photos that they say show a sexual relationship that began when the girl was 13, and they report roughly 40 terabytes of evidence.
- Burke was arrested on April 16, 2026, has pleaded not guilty, remains held without bail, and faces a preliminary hearing at the end of May to decide if the case advances to trial.
- A judge denied a request to wear civilian clothes for a May 1 hearing but allowed a jail haircut, and if convicted Burke could face life without parole or the death penalty as he continues to deny the allegations.