The grand jury sat on this case for five months and never returned an indictment. LAPD arrested D4VD anyway. That decision — and what it signals about where this investigation stands — is the most important detail in the Celeste Rivas Hernandez case right now.
David Anthony Burke was taken into custody on April 16 at a Hollywood Hills residence by LAPD Robbery-Homicide on a probable cause warrant for alleged murder. He's held without bail. The case goes to the LA County DA's Major Crimes Division on Monday. If prosecutors don't file charges, he walks.
For months, this case hit a wall: the medical examiner reportedly couldn't determine cause of death because Celeste's remains were too decomposed and compromised. ABC News sources now say investigators believe they can prove her death was murder. What changed hasn't been made public — and neither has the probable cause declaration that convinced a judge to sign off on the arrest.
I walk through the sealed ME report, the secret grand jury, the Santa Barbara County tracking data, the Discord server that allegedly connects D4VD to Celeste as far back as 2022, the reports that his friends thought she was 19, the burn cage incinerator, and the defense team's very specific denial about cause of death that leaves a lot of other questions deliberately unanswered.
This is a case wrapped in an extraordinary number of secrecy orders for an arrest that hasn't produced a single formal charge. The medical examiner wanted to speak and the court said no. The grand jury heard testimony and no indictment came. A 21-year-old pop star sits in a cell without bail while the DA decides whether LAPD's bet was right. Celeste was 14. She was missing for 17 months. A tow yard worker found her.
Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/
Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod
This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.
#D4VD #CelesteRivas #CelesteRivasHernandez #DavidBurkeArrested #TrueCrime #TrueCrimeToday #LAPD #JusticeForCeleste #GrandJury #HollywoodHills
