Singer D4vd had a multimillion-dollar recording deal, an executive at his former label testified on Wednesday, as prosecutors sought to establish the musician had a financial motivation to kill Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
Details emerged of how much Interscope Records was paying the singer, who was born David Anthony Burke, on the second day of a hearing to determine if there is probable cause for him to stand trial for the murder and sexual abuse of Rivas Hernandez.
The teenager’s body was found last year in gruesome conditions in a car registered to the musician.
Prosecutors accuse Burke of stabbing Rivas Hernandez, 14, to death at his Los Angeles residence to silence her from divulging the sexual nature of their relationship as his career was on the rise.
Burke has pleaded not guilty to charges that include first-degree murder, “lewd and lascivious acts” with a child under the age of 14, and the mutilation of human remains. His defense team has said their client “was not the cause” of Hernandez’s death.
On the first day of hearings on Tuesday, prosecutors showed photos of the dismembered and decomposing body of Rivas Hernandez, and alleged the singer had severely mutilated her body. They also sought to show that the singer used his credit cards to purchase chainsaws, a body bag and a shovel.
The preliminary hearing is expected to last between three and five days.
Burke, now 21, was arrested in April and has been held in custody since then without bail.
If convicted of murder, he could face the death penalty, or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Rivas Hernandez’s family was in court for the start of the hearing on Tuesday. After Burke’s arrest in April, the family said in a statement: “Celeste was a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance. Every Friday night was movie night and we spent wonderful times together. We love her very much and she always told us that she loved us. We miss her deeply. All we want is justice for Celeste.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
