Online shopping records have become a major part of the murder case against singer D4vd, as prosecutors say purchases made after the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez help establish what happened to her body.
D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of killing Rivas Hernandez, sexually abusing her and dismembering her body. The allegations have not been proven at trial.
According to the Los Angeles Times, prosecutors say Burke purchased many of the items allegedly used to dispose of the teenager’s remains through online marketplaces. Those purchases included chainsaws, cadaver bags, a shovel, an inflatable pool and what was described as a “burn cage.”
An LAPD homicide detective previously testified that Burke ordered chainsaws, a body bag, an inflatable pool and a shovel in the days following the teenager’s death.
The purchases are significant because investigators could trace the orders and deliveries.
Legal experts told the Los Angeles Times that buying unusual items online is not itself evidence of a crime. Products such as cadaver bags can have legitimate uses, and online retailers generally aren’t responsible when legally sold products are later misused.
But prosecutors can use shopping records alongside physical and forensic evidence to build a timeline.
During Burke’s preliminary hearing, investigators also presented DNA evidence connected to items recovered from his rented Hollywood Hills home. Prosecutors allege Rivas Hernandez was killed and dismembered there before her remains were eventually discovered inside a Tesla registered to Burke.
The case illustrates how ordinary digital activity can become powerful evidence in a criminal investigation.
Search histories, purchases, delivery records and account information can leave a detailed trail investigators may reconstruct months—or even years—later.
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