D4vd Hearing: Prosecutors Detail London Trip, Financial Records

Burke, who has pleaded not guilty, is charged with first-degree murder, lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains.

The second day of testimony began with defense attorney Marilyn Bednarski continuing her cross-examination of Benjamin Greger, the former director of finance for MogulVision, the management company that oversaw David Anthony Burke’s career and finances.

Greger testified that nearly all financial matters were handled through Burke’s mother, Colleen Burke, whom he said he communicated with roughly 10 times a month between 2024 and 2025. According to Greger, Colleen managed Burke’s accounts, transferred money, monitored balances and paid his credit card bills. He said Burke himself never asked how much money was coming in or how much he was expected to earn in the future.

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The defense appeared to be laying the groundwork to argue that Burke had little knowledge of his own finances, attempting to undercut any allegation that he acted with a financial motive.

Something of note, and a new name that echoed in the gallery: Sheldon (last name was unclear, even to the witness). Greger testified that Sheldon was a live-in security for the singer. Greger said security guard Sheldon lived at Burke’s home for about six months, though he testified he never discussed what occurred inside the residence with Sheldon present.

The defense also questioned Greger about encrypted messaging services used by Colleen Burke, which was discussed at length Tuesday during direct examination. Greger said she became concerned about the security of her communications after personal information was leaked to the media. Bednarski later attempted to question Greger about Burke’s charitable giving and a trust known as the “Thornrose Trust,” but prosecutors repeatedly objected on relevance grounds, and Judge Charlaine Olmedo sustained the objections, explaining the line of questioning was not relevant to determining probable cause. It was clear the defense was attempting to show Burke gave to charity, but without a jury present, the point did seem to be moot.

On redirect, prosecutors tried to further reveal the extent of Burke’s involvement in his own finances, aiming to show he was involved after all. Although Greger acknowledged Burke bought homes and signed contracts involving money, he testified that he personally never reviewed financial matters with the singer, one-on-one. ADA Beth Silverman noted that Burke had a separate bank account and a separate credit card that he managed himself; Greger said he was unaware.

Silverman then moved to questions surrounding 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. When asked, Greger testified he never discussed travel plans involving Burke and Celeste with Burke’s mother or former manager Josh Marshall: including whether Burke had purchased airline tickets for Celeste to travel to London. 

However…Greger acknowledged he later spoke with MogulVision’s Robert Morgenroth about whether or not Celeste had actually traveled to London. He testified the conversation did not include any discussion about traveling to Texas (just London), and the flight purchases appeared to come from one of Burke’s personal accounts (rather than an account managed by MogulVision).

The redirect concluded with prosecutors asking whether Greger had ever discussed allegations involving fake ID’s, parties at Burke’s home, or drugs and alcohol with security guard Sheldon. Silverman hinted that Sheldon spent ample time with Burke and Celeste, and even allegedly drove them around to parties.

Prosecutors next called Louis Poimiroo, vice president of finance at Interscope Capital, who testified he has worked for the company for three years and reviewed Interscope’s financial records related to Burke’s music career. Poimiroo said he examined payment records, agreements and tax documents covering 2022 through 2025, and reviewed a summary of the money Interscope paid to Burke and his affiliated entities. He also testified that he reviewed a December 2025 termination letter sent by Interscope to Burke’s management company, MogulVision, which was signed by Jason Kawejsza, Interscope’s head of business affairs. 

According to the summary introduced into evidence, Interscope paid around $950,000 in 2022, $3.869 million in 2023, around $186,000 in 2024 and $2.277 million in 2025 to Burke, D4vd Entertainment LLC and other affiliated entities. The 2022 and 2023 payments also included deposits into Burke’s Coogan Trust, which is a court-protected account required for child performers in California, where 15% of a minor’s earnings are set aside and cannot be accessed by parents or guardians. 

When prosecutor Beth Silverman asked whether those funds were reserved exclusively for Burke, Poimiroo replied, “That’s my understanding.”

Prosecutors continued to push that Burke did access his own finances.

The records also showed Interscope guaranteed Burke $3.2 million for his first album, with roughly $200,000 allocated toward legal fees, and $1.5 million for his second album, with half of the recording commitment paid upfront. Poimiroo further testified that Burke earned an additional sum around $485,801 through brand partnerships with companies including AMC, Hollister, Crocs and Bose, while another $653,000 was paid for tour support, marketing and media-related expenses.

Some financial figures are subject to revision, as the court exhibits have not yet been made publicly available. The amounts above are based on real-time notes taken by reporters inside the courtroom.

During cross-examination, Marilyn Bednarski focused on Burke’s Coogan Trust, questioning Poimiroo about who solely controlled the account and what happened once Burke turned 18. Bednarski asked whether Burke had exclusive control over the trust funds and whether anyone in his family could have accessed the money, but Poimiroo testified he could not answer those questions. 

Bednarski noted that Burke turned 18 in 2023 and acknowledged the payment summary introduced into evidence did not show any Coogan Trust payments after 2023. Bednarski attempted to go over Burke’s prior contract with Interscope as well; however, Poimiroo seemed to have trouble understanding the line of questioning, which seemed to slow the proceedings.

Prosecutors next called California Highway Patrol Officer Sean Buenrostro, who testified that on January 7, 2026, he responded to a report from a Caltrans worker who had discovered a passport card belonging to Celeste Rivas Hernandez along Highway 154: east of West Camino Cielo Road in Santa Barbara County. Buenrostro said the area consisted of a dirt shoulder with tall grass and a steep embankment overlooking several sharp drop-offs. According to his testimony, the Caltrans employee told him he found the passport card while walking the shoulder during a traffic control assignment after some recent rain. The worker said he searched Celeste’s name online, realized who she was and contacted the police. 

Buenrostro testified that after confirming Celeste was listed as a missing person, he photographed the scene, documented the location with GPS coordinates using Google Maps and notified the Los Angeles Police Department. Exhibits shown in court included photographs of the highway shoulder, the brush where the passport was found and the passport card itself. The passport of Celeste Rivas Hernandez was shown to the court, where she appeared to look very young.

Throughout the testimony, Burke remained focused on the courtroom monitor, appearing expressionless as images of Celeste’s passport were displayed.

Buenrostro also said CHP and LAPD later searched the surrounding area but found no additional evidence.

On cross-examination, defense attorney Regina Peter focused on how the passport card was recovered and whether investigators could determine how long it had been there. Buenrostro acknowledged the Caltrans worker picked up the passport before law enforcement arrived and was not wearing gloves. He also testified he did not ask whether the passport had been face-up or face-down, partially buried or otherwise covered by dirt or vegetation. Buenrostro said he was unaware whether the passport card was ever tested for fingerprints and agreed he could not determine whether it had been dropped recently or carried to the location by weather or storm.

Peter also questioned why Buenrostro photographed himself only pointing toward the area where the passport had been found instead of taking a photograph of the exact location itself. A Google Maps exhibit introduced by the defense appeared to place the GPS pin on the highway rather than in the dirt shoulder. Buenrostro said that he placed the marker using the satellite map view and still claimed that the coordinates he documented were accurate to the best of his ability.

Before lunch, prosecutors called LAPD criminalist Chelsea Murillo, a forensic field investigator with the department’s Scientific Investigation Division who testified she has processed more than 230 crime scenes over her seven-year career.

As prosecutors displayed photographs of the vehicle, Murillo testified that the entire exterior was coated in a noticeable layer of dust, leading her to believe it had been sitting undisturbed for some time. She also described a strong odor consistent with a decomposing body, based on her training and experience, and noted insect activity inside the vehicle’s front trunk, or “frunk.” Additional photographs introduced into evidence showed the Tesla’s interior, where investigators documented numerous air fresheners scattered throughout the cabin and trunk (most concentrated in the center console) along with a bottle of Purell hand sanitizer. One of the air fresheners displayed the phrase, “Love is in the Air.”

Murillo will return to the stand after lunch.