Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Graphic Evidence in Singer D4vd Preliminary Hearing for Murder of 14-Year-Old Celeste | Crime Alert 07.24.26

Episode Date: July 24, 2026

Prosecutors present horrifying crime scene photos during the preliminary hearing for singer D4vd in the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Tennessee father arrested for first-degree murder after leading Memphis police to toddler son's body in suitcase. Silicon Valley driver faces murder charges seven months after an extreme high-speed crash killed a mother and her toddler daughter. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-heart podcast. Guaranteed human. Crime Alert, hourly update. Breaking Crime News now. I'm Sydney Silvani. We begin in Los Angeles, where the gruesome preliminary hearing for singer David, whose real name is David Anthony Burke,

continues into its third day. Prosecutors are presenting horrific evidence to convince a judge there is sufficient cause to try the 21-year-old musician for the brutal murder and dismemberment of 14-year-old Celeste. Rivas Hernandez. Celeste's heartbroken parents sat through gut-wrenching courtroom testimony as graphic crime scene photos were shown publicly for the very first time. Investigators testified

that Celeste's severely decomposing body was discovered inside a cadaver bag in the trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke at a Hollywood towyard in September 2025. Prosecutors allege Burke stabbed the young girl and used a chainsaw to dismember her, attempting to cover up years of of alleged sexual abuse after she threatened to expose their illicit relationship and ruin his multi-million dollar music career. A homicide detective revealed Burke bought body bags, chainsaws, an inflatable pool, and a shovel online, using an alias shortly after her death. Celeste parents faced an unbearable ordeal, warned repeatedly by both prosecutor Beth Silverman, before each graphic photo was displayed. Family attorney Patrick Steinfeld detailed the horrific

nature of the evidence shown to the grieving family. It just looked like rummish. And that Beth Silverman asked on one image, what this was, another image, asked what it was, and they'd text said, well, that's her head. And I mean, there's no way you would have guessed. You could identify it as a head. So it was, it was horrible. It did not look like a person, or body at all. Burke, meanwhile, showed no visible emotion, staring intently at the graphic photos, particularly an image showing a matching

tattoo on Celeste's right index finger. A tattoo, Burke also shares on his own hand. Detective Byers testified that Celeste's face was unrecognizable, with her severed limbs found stuffed in a secondary refuse bag inside the trunk. Attorney Steinfeld described the painful emotional toll on Celeste's mother who chose to remain in the courtroom to show support. It was extremely painful for them to sit through and hear the testimony today regarding

the condition of Celeste's body. And then when they saw the images, Mercedes just broke down and started crying. And she really never recovered for the rest of the day. And so it's, it's, It's every person's a worse nightmare, but it seems to just get harder and harder. The preliminary hearing is expected to wrap up today as prosecutors call final witnesses to bind Burke over for trial. More crime and justice news after this. The car, the host of the podcast, Encore. Check out our brand new episodes featuring music from the show that everyone is reheating as we speak. Heated rivalry. Join me as I go behind the songs that brought Shane and Elia together.

I'll tell you the stories of Fice, My Moon, My Man, Wolf Parades, I'll Believe in Anything, and tattoos, all the things she said, and how they all became a part of this global phenomenon. Stream encore on IHeart Radio, Crave, or wherever you get your podcasts. Turning to Tennessee, authorities in Memphis have arrested a 22-year-old father in connection with the horrific death of his toddler son. Saul Martinez faces multiple severe felony charges, including first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, abuse of a corpse, and evidence tampering following the tragic discovery of three-year-old Joseph Martinez.

According to police affidavits, the child's mother reported him missing on Sunday July 19th, stating he was last seen with his father the previous day. Saul's father, Octavio Martinez, told police that Saul came to his room around midnight Saturday, took his car keys without permission, and dragged a large suitcase to the front passenger seat before driving away. When Saul returned home Monday morning, family members confronted him. He allegedly confessed to leaving Joseph's body in the river and subsequently led investigators to a wooded area connected to the Wolf River Harbor. Police located the suitcase with a toddler's body inside. Loved ones remembering young Joseph established a go-fund me fundraiser,

describing him as a precious baby whose life was tragically cut short. Memphis police officers have not yet released an official motive behind the brutal killing. Finally, in Northern California, a Silicon Valley man has been charged with murder seven months after a devastating high-speed crash killed a mother and her young daughter. The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office announced that 31-year-old Zachary Chernicki faces murder charges for the early December crash on a busy San Jose Highway that claimed the lives of 29-year-old Ivana Ballastrari and her toddler Liliana, who was just two days shy of her second birthday. Investigators revealed Chernicki was driving a Tesla at a terrifying 142 miles per hour, 15 seconds before the collision, hitting the rear of the victim's stopped car at 102 miles per hour.

The violent impact triggered an immediate explosion, causing the car to burst into flames, trapping Ivana and Liliana inside, while Ivana's severely injured fiancé was helpless to save them. Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen emphasized that driving at such extreme speeds makes a speeding vehicle as deadly as a bullet fired directly into a crowd. Ivana's older sister, Francesca Alexander, remembered her vibrant spirit in an interview with ABC 7. Ivana was a light. She lit up every room that she walked into. She held a lot of space. for other people. The loss has devastated the entire family as cousin Eliana Ballastrary shared with ABC 7. Lily was the first baby. We've had first girl in 18 years. So Yvana, we call it the,

we had a boy curse in our family, but Yvana broke that boy curse. For more crime and justice news, be sure to join us for crime stories with Nancy Grace on Fox 1, YouTube, Sirius XM, and now streaming on Tooby. With this crime alert, I'm Sidney This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.