Human remains found in vehicle belonging to musician D4vd were badly deteriorated to the point of being unidentifiable, according to testimony in court.

A police detective testified in a Los Angeles court on Tuesday that the body of a teenage girl found in the trunk of US singer D4vd's car was so decomposed that it was "unrecognizable", with the 21-year-old singer, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, facing several charges including murder in connection with the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

n

The girl's body was discovered in Burke's Tesla last September, just days before what would have been her 15th birthday, and Los Angeles Police Detective Joshua Byers recognized the "very distinctive smell" of a corpse when the trunk was opened in a tow yard.

n

Grim photographs of the girl's dismembered remains were shown to the court, including a large black bag containing her head and torso, and Byers noted that her arms and legs were found in a separate bag with signs of insect activity and decomposition.

n

When asked if he could recognize any facial features, Byers replied that the decomposition was too advanced, with "skin slippage" making it impossible to identify the girl, and Burke, who was present in court wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, showed no reaction to the images.

n

Prosecutors alleged that the singer met the girl when she was 11 years old and began a sexual relationship with her when she was 13, and body camera footage played during the hearing showed Burke claiming that the girl had told him she was 18 years old.

n

The victim's mother had reported her missing in 2024, when the girl was just 13 years old, and prosecutors claimed that Burke killed her after she threatened to expose their long-standing and illegal sexual relationship, which could have jeopardized his singing career.

n

Burke has denied one count each of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains, and if convicted, he could face life imprisonment or the death penalty.

n

Los Angeles chief prosecutor Nathan Hochman stated that the preliminary hearing, which will determine whether the case proceeds to trial, is expected to last "three to five days" and expressed confidence that the evidence presented would be sufficient to meet the burden of probable cause.

n

Hochman told the press that "we believe we will more than accomplish the evidentiary burden of probable cause at this point to hold David to answer on these three felony charges", indicating that the prosecution is confident in its case against Burke.