Defense lawyer Blair Berk used the third day of D4vd’s preliminary hearing to press LAPD witnesses on why investigators did not swab two small chain saws or his car for touch DNA.
LAPD criminalist Lauren Wallace said the saw blades tested negative for blood, so handles were not tested, though she acknowledged touch DNA cannot be seen and police knew multiple people lived at the home.
Wallace also testified she found signs blood had been cleaned in the garage, while the defense highlighted jugs of fake blood there and suggested they were props for music videos.
A police detective said phone and Tesla data placed Burke at his Hollywood home the night of April 23, 2025, then in remote Santa Barbara County about 95 miles away, with later trips near where the girl’s passport was found.
The hearing will determine whether David Burke, who has pleaded not guilty, stands trial on murder, child sexual abuse and mutilation charges over the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.