Overview
- Los Angeles prosecutors filed a nine-page brief Wednesday that alleges David Anthony Burke fatally stabbed Celeste Rivas Hernandez after she threatened to expose their sexual relationship, with a preliminary hearing set for May 26.
- Investigators say her dismembered remains were found Sept. 8, 2025 in a Tesla registered to Burke, and the medical examiner ruled her death a homicide caused by multiple penetrating injuries.
- Forensic testing cited the teen’s DNA in Burke’s garage and blue plastic fragments in her remains that an LAPD expert matched to a blue inflatable pool recovered from his home.
- Purchase and travel records in the filing list an Uber sent to bring her to his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, chainsaws, a body bag and a pool ordered under the alias “Victoria Mendez,” and trips to Santa Barbara County where her passport was found in January 2026.
- Prosecutors say digital evidence includes explicit images and messages showing sexual activity beginning when she was 13, while Burke has pleaded not guilty, is held without bail, and faces special-circumstance allegations that make the case death-eligible with a charging decision still pending.