LOS ANGELES — David Anthony Burke pleaded not guilty earlier this month in Los Angeles County Superior Court to charges of first-degree murder, continuous sexual acts, lewd and lascivious sexual acts with an individual under 14 years old, and mutilating human remains in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. A preliminary hearing is set for May 26.

In a court document, prosecutors allege Burke fatally stabbed Rivas Hernandez multiple times and stood by while she bled to death. Prosecutors allege he then purchased two chainsaws that he used to dismember her body in an inflatable pool. Investigators allege Burke ordered the chainsaws, a body bag, and an inflatable pool on Amazon using a fake name, and say fragments of the pool were found in cut wounds on her body.

Rivas Hernandez's decomposed remains were found in September 2025 in a Tesla registered to Burke that had been abandoned in the Hollywood Hills. Burke was the last person to drive the vehicle. The Los Angeles County medical examiner determined she died from penetrating injuries and had severe wounds to her torso. The condition of her remains delayed the medical examiner's ability to determine her cause of death, police said. Two of her fingers were missing, and she had Burke's name tattooed on them, prosecutors say. Her DNA was found in Burke's garage.

According to a court document, Burke met Rivas Hernandez when she was 11 and began a sexual relationship with her when she was 13 and he was 18. Investigators found child sexual abuse images of her on Burke's phone, along with over 40 terabytes of child sexual abuse material on computers, tablets, and iCloud associated with him. Prosecutors obtained messages dated April 2025 showing Rivas Hernandez was jealous of Burke's relationships with women and threatened to reveal damaging information about their relationship and end his career. Prosecutors allege Burke killed her the next day.

Rivas Hernandez's family reported her missing from Lake Elsinore, California, in 2024. She ran away from home in February 2024, returned home, and later left again, police said. After she was first reported missing, police contacted Burke, who told them he was not aware she was a minor and had met her only once, according to a court document. After her first return home, Burke allegedly paid a friend $1,000 to give her a cellphone so they could stay in contact. A Caltrans worker found her passport card discarded in Santa Barbara County in January 2025, and prosecutors say Burke traveled to a location in that county multiple times after her death, including the night she was murdered.

Burke's attorneys asked a judge to block the release of the prosecution's brief, and the request was denied. A hearing scheduled for Friday was delayed until late May to allow the defense time to review the evidence. Burke's legal team said he is innocent and did not kill Rivas Hernandez.

"Sadly, some treated this as if it was entertainment. It's not entertainment. It's a tragic life taken in a very brutal way. A lot of people involved, a lot of care and concern, as well, expressed over the case. But, we've taken it very seriously, and our goal is to be able to preserve evidence until it gets to trial," said Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell.