DNA testing of bloodstains found in the garage of American singer David Burke’s Hollywood home matched those of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a DNA expert testified in court on Thursday. David has been charged with stabbing the teenager to death.

According to prosecutors, David killed the teenager and dismembered her body, hiding it in the garage. He is accused of murdering her after she threatened to expose their sexual relationship and ruin his music career.

Police officers collected samples from a rubber mat, rowing machine, and Tesla charger at the crime scene in the garage. Los Angeles police forensic expert Samantha Tosh testified in court that those samples matched Celeste’s DNA.

This testimony came on the third day of the ongoing preliminary hearing, where the judge will decide whether to proceed with the charges of murder, child sexual abuse, and dismemberment of a corpse against David. The singer, however, is claiming innocence and is attempting to defend himself in court.

According to forensic expert Tosh, some of the samples found were many times more likely to belong to Celeste than to any other random person.

Although prosecutors had previously informed the court that her DNA was found in the garage, this is the first time the evidence has been presented publicly.

Questions Raised Over DNA Evidence and Testing

Testing was also conducted on a trash bag found in the garage and on wet wipes inside it. According to Tosh, a mixture of DNA from four people was found in the bag, including at least two men, one of whom matched David’s DNA. While the teenager’s DNA was found on the wet wipes, it was not present on the bag itself. Similarly, during the investigation, David’s DNA was not found on those wipes.

Another police forensic expert stated that most of the bloodstains found in the garage were invisible to the naked eye and were only detected when they glowed blue after being sprayed with chemicals. In a photograph shown in court, the rubber mat was seen glowing a bright blue color.

“Is it possible those samples did not come from blood?” David’s lawyer Blair Burke asked forensic expert Tosh about the DNA samples during cross-examination. In response, Tosh admitted, “It cannot be said with complete certainty that those DNA samples are from blood; they could also have been transferred through touch DNA.”

“I cannot say with absolute certainty that they are from blood,” Tosh replied. In further questioning, Tosh said it was not possible to determine how the DNA got there or how long it had been there.

Questions Over Police Investigation Procedures

Singer David’s lawyers have not yet clearly presented their arguments regarding how Rivas Hernandez was killed and how her dismembered body was found in the singer’s Tesla car five months later. However, they are questioning government witnesses about why further DNA testing was not conducted on other items found in the singer’s home and car as part of their defense.

Lawyer Burke drew attention to two small chainsaws found in the singer’s garage, where, according to prosecutors, David dismembered the body. Another forensic expert, Lauren Wallace, stated that since no blood was found on the blades during preliminary chemical testing, DNA testing was not conducted on the handles, which could have been touched by someone.

“If there is someone else’s DNA on an item, it doesn’t show up immediately, does it?” lawyer Burke asked. Wallace agreed, reiterating that no blood was found on the blades and said, “Yes, touch DNA is not visible.”

The Accused David’s Calm Demeanor

Indie-pop singer David has a large following. His songs and videos often depict dark and violent scenes through a fictional character named “Itami.”

His popular 2022 song “Romantic Homicide” is among those streamed over a billion times on Spotify. His first album “Withered” was released two days after the date the teenager is alleged to have been killed.

On Thursday, David appeared in court wearing an orange prison uniform and glasses, listening calmly to the witnesses’ testimony. During the hearing, he showed no emotion, but during breaks, he was seen smiling and conversing with his lawyers.