Unsealed Documents Show California Sought to Fly D4vd’s Father to Testify in Grand Jury Probe
Newly unsealed Los Angeles court documents reveal prosecutors sought to compel the father of d4vd to travel from Texas to California to give testimony in an active grand jury investigation. The filings tie the request directly to the discovery of severely decomposed human remains in a Tesla registered to the singer, intensifying legal steps in the inquiry.
D4vd: Development details
The grand jury investigation in Los Angeles County names David Burke, who performs as D4vd, as the target of an inquiry into whether he "may be involved in the death of a 14-year-old victim, " identified in the documents as Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The records state that Rivas’ remains were found on September 8, 2025, inside the front storage compartment of a black Tesla Model X registered to Burke at a Hempstead, Texas, address.
When law enforcement opened the vehicle’s front compartment, investigators discovered a black cadaver bag containing human remains and a second bag with additional dismembered body parts. The petition describes the remains as severely decomposed; impound workers had reported a foul odor after the vehicle had been left at a Hollywood Hills tow lot for several days, prompting officers to respond.
California prosecutors sought an order requiring Dawud Burke — David Burke’s father, who lives in Hempstead — to travel to Los Angeles to testify before the grand jury. The request specified attendance beginning February 11 for no more than three days and described Dawud Burke’s testimony as "material and necessary" to the investigation. In response, the father’s attorneys filed a habeas corpus application in Texas contending the Texas court order was unlawful and arguing he was denied due process because he did not receive full, unredacted copies of the California certification documents supporting the subpoena request.
Context and escalation
The probe intensified after the vehicle, registered to Burke, was impounded and left at the tow facility where employees alerted authorities to a persistent odor. Officers who examined the Tesla located the bags of remains, with investigators noting heavy decomposition and insect activity. Those facts led Los Angeles County prosecutors to open the grand jury inquiry and to pursue compelled testimony from witnesses with close ties to the named target.
Additional legal actions have intersected with the inquiry: another individual subpoenaed to testify was arrested after failing to appear for a mandated appearance as a witness in the homicide probe. At the same time, public discussion has focused on the pace of the investigation and on why formal charges have not yet been filed. The documents make plain that the investigation remains active while prosecutors gather evidence and testimony.
Immediate impact
The immediate effects of the filings are procedural and personal. Legally, the petition escalated efforts to secure witness testimony outside California, invoking cross-jurisdictional procedures to compel a witness from Texas. Practically, it prompted the father’s legal team to challenge the order in Texas court, setting up a judicial dispute over whether the compelled testimony can proceed.
For the individuals named in the documents, the impact is stark: David Burke is identified as the grand jury target, while Dawud Burke faces the prospect of travel and testimony tied to allegations about the victim’s death. The discovery of a decomposed, dismembered body in the Tesla has also prompted public scrutiny and online debate about the case’s progress and investigative steps.
Forward outlook
The grand jury investigation remains pending in Los Angeles County, and the next concrete milestones are tied to the contested witness order and the habeas corpus challenge in Texas. The petition had requested the father’s attendance beginning February 11 for up to three days; the defense challenge seeks to block that compelled appearance on procedural grounds. Prosecutors maintain the testimony is necessary to the inquiry while defense counsel presses for full disclosure of supporting certification documents.
D4vd has not been formally charged with a crime, and the grand jury process will determine whether indictment is pursued. What makes this notable is prosecutors’ move to seek testimony from a close family member in another state, signaling reliance on witness accounts as a central element of the ongoing probe into Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s death.
