Nightline Full Broadcast — Tuesday, July 21, 2026

[00:00:04]This is Night Line. Tonight, David in court. The once rising music star accused of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez as prosecutors argue their case for the first time.

[00:00:16]>> You have this young, beautiful girl found, dismembered, stabbed, mutilated.

[00:00:24]The victim discovered in the trunk of David's Tesla as authorities examine phone records in DNA. Fans and online slew now giving the musicians own lyrics a double take.

[00:00:36][singing] >> In those lyrics, in the back of my mind, I killed you and I didn't even regret it. Fans are like, did we miss something?

[00:00:45]>> The singer arrested but denying all of the charges. Plus [music] >> raised on radio. Melissa >> Effort [music and singing] >> and Winona Jud, >> the small town trailblazers who changed rock and country forever.

[00:01:05]>> We've both been through love and loss and >> death and life and love. Everybody's got a story and ours, you know, you know some about ours.

[00:01:14]>> Together on stage and maybe beyond.

[00:01:18]Do we have a joint record in the works?

[00:01:21]>> And get ready for summerween. The calendar may say July, but the spooky season is trending everywhere and not everyone is happy.

[00:01:31]From ABC News headquarters in New York, this is Night Line. Good evening. Thank you for joining us. Singer David was once a promising young star with a successful tour that he was about to take to Europe with his music climbing the charts. But it all ended suddenly.

[00:01:48]The decomposing body of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found in his car. The singer denies all of the charges.

[00:01:57][music] Tonight, a first look inside the stunning murder case that's making waves across the country. A California court hearing preliminary arguments in the case against David Anthony Burke, better known by his stage name David. In the back of my mind, you died. [music] >> The romantic homicide singer who just last year was on the cusp of global superstardom with tens of millions of listeners on Spotify in a world tour underway.

[00:02:31]>> Today, facing a judge charged in the death and dismemberment of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. We will be seeking to hold David to answer for three felony counts of which he has been charged. First-degree murder with special circumstances, uh the count of loot and lascivious acts with a 13-year-old, and the count of mutilation of human remains.

[00:02:56]>> The singer faces those charges after Hernandez's body was found in the trunk of Burk's Tesla last September, months after she was allegedly killed. A preliminary hearing is like a mini trial where the prosecution has to prove to a judge that there's enough evidence to send it to trial.

[00:03:16]>> Prosecutors are now just beginning to lay out what they say is the long list of evidence tying Burke to the heinous crime.

[00:03:23]>> It's been a long time getting to this point. And looking at David, he seemed pretty relaxed. He was in his chair. He was fidgeting a little bit. The parents of Celestriz Hernandez, they were sitting in court as well. and they at times were emotional.

[00:03:36]>> In court today, an LAPD detective described and showed photos of Celeste decomposed body. Celeste's family became emotional in the courtroom.

[00:03:46]>> These were really graphic images when they were shown in court. There was an audible gasp from people in the courtroom when the images came up.

[00:03:53]>> The discovery of the body in this case is a critical piece of evidence. And so it is ugly. It is gruesome.

[00:04:03]It has got to be so difficult for those family members to sit through it.

[00:04:09]>> The detectives testified that Celeste's father called the LAPD when news reports broke of a body found. Concerned that it was his daughter, >> they couldn't figure out immediately who it was. Her body was so badly decomposed and that it was a phone call from him and then dental records that figured out who they were potentially looking at.

[00:04:27]>> All the while, Burke has maintained his innocence. He has pled not guilty to the charges against him. This is a very powerful case. There is a lot of different kinds of evidence against him.

[00:04:42]Still, the saga has once again pointed the spotlight on the troublesome history between David, who was now 21 and an adult, and Celeste, who was a child at the time of their alleged relationship and her death. Prosecutors allege now that when Rivas Hernandez was 11 years old, they met on social media and then this relationship grew and grew.

[00:05:03]>> YO YO YO [screaming] YO. WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT.

[00:05:07]>> OH, look at that one. That's so mean if you don't answer.

[00:05:10]>> Which one? Which one? Which one?

[00:05:13]It looks like at the beginning it's just a guy and a girl seemingly joking, having fun on this live stream and people are commenting as they're sort of talking and having fun.

[00:05:25]>> It's one of the few videos we have of the two of them together if not the only video.

[00:05:29]>> I media trained you.

[00:05:31]>> No, you didn't.

[00:05:31]>> That's controversial.

[00:05:33]>> It's controversial of raping kids.

[00:05:39]>> Really good. It's been a It's been a good one. Bye. Hi guys.

[00:05:42]>> During the time prosecutors say Burke was involved with Celeste, his career was taking off. He made his debut at Coachella. He was becoming a very big deal. And the allegation is that he knew that if this came out that he had been having a relationship with a minor that his career would be over.

[00:05:59]>> What was the precipitating event that you believe led to the [sighs and snorts] murder?

[00:06:03]>> Uh there was some indication that Celeste was unhappy with the status of their relationship. She had potentially threatened David that she might out the fact that he was involved in a sexual relationship with a minor.

[00:06:17]>> Law enforcement says that's not just a gap, that's rape. That's sex with a minor who cannot give consent.

[00:06:29]>> April 23rd, 2025 is the last day Celeste Rivas Hernandez is seen alive.

[00:06:36]According to law enforcement, David and Celeste are texting throughout the day.

[00:06:40]At night, he sends an Uber for her to pick her up at her home and drop her off at his home sometime between 8:40 p.m.

[00:06:48]and then dropping off at 10:10 p.m. It's not a short trip. It's some 70 mi, about an hour and a half away. After stepping foot inside his Hollywood Hills house, Celeste never came out. That night, her cell phone activity went dead. According to investigators, >> the medical examiner's report determined that Celeste had died from what were believed to be puncture wounds to her abdomen, but the nature of the injuries was consistent with that of a stab wound or being stabbed with some sort of sharp instrument.

[00:07:25]A week after the murder, he's been busy.

[00:07:28]He's been promoting. He's doing all of that, but now prosecutors say that he uses a fake name to start ordering more things. And what he orders that day? Two chainsaws.

[00:07:41]>> A few days later, David is back on Amazon ordering things again. Ordering a heavy duty laundry bag, a body bag, and a blue inflatable pool. It's really disturbing when you think about the timeline because what prosecutors say is that this body was in the house for 12 days before he allegedly dismembered her and then puts her in this car. And prosecutors say he's the last person to drive that car. And they know that because they have evidence, including surveillance video.

[00:08:21]with a [music] disturbing discovery in the trunk of a car involving a famous musician and his Tesla.

[00:08:26]>> The grim discovery was made after nearby residents complained about a foul odor.

[00:08:30]>> Police discovered decomposing human remains wrapped in a bag.

[00:08:34]>> September 8th, from what I recall, was a clear, sunny, warm day. We received the call sometime in the early afternoon hours.

[00:08:43]They opened the trunk and what they found was straight out of nightmares.

[00:08:47]>> When the trunk of the car was opened [music] and the officers looked into see the contents, they saw what appeared to be a partially dismembered and badly decomposed body.

[00:08:59]>> It doesn't take them very long to find out who the car belongs to. It's registered to David.

[00:09:06]But some of the strongest evidence, investigators say, came when they raided David's home.

[00:09:11]>> He's away on tour. He's not even there.

[00:09:14]But apparently what they found inside the house, that's what allowed them to start connecting the dots. David pled not guilty to all charges against him.

[00:09:22]His attorneys issued a statement that said, "The actual evidence in the case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez [music] and he was not the cause of her death.

[00:09:32]We will vigorously defend David's innocence." The preliminary hearing is set to last 3 to 5 days, after which a judge will determine if there is enough evidence to move forward with a trial.

[00:09:43]It's going to be a lot of testimony.

[00:09:44]Like any preliminary hearing, they've got a lot of evidence. They've got a lot of witnesses. They don't have to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. This is not in front of a jury. They just have to show the judge that they've got enough, but they want to lay the foundation of that.

[00:09:58]You can watch more of the case of The Girl in the Trunk is streaming now on Hulu and Disney Plus. When we come back, two powerhouse women with guitars, Melissa Ethridge and Winona Jud celebrating their separate journeys together with their music.

[00:10:22]>> Welcome back. Two music legends raised on radio are taking their talents together on tour. Melissa Ethridge and Winona Jud may come from two different genres, but their stories are not so different. Night lines Ashen Sain caught up with them.

[00:10:37]>> We've both been through love and loss and [music] death and life and love. Everybody's got a story and ours, you know, you know some about ours.

[00:10:53]This summer, rock icon Melissa Aidge and country legend Winona Jud are joining forces.

[00:11:02]>> They don't know how hard it is to coordinate two artists to get [music] together and do something. It's just it's almost impossible. And I think where we're at [music] in our life right now, it's like, oh yeah, this is something we want to come out. And boy, the audience have been really loving it.

[00:11:20]Really? Well, we all were raised on radio.

[00:11:22]>> Yeah. [music] >> And so everybody in the audience when I say 80s and 90s, >> they go nuts.

[00:11:27]>> They love it.

[00:11:28]>> The Raised on Radio tour says everything about how these small town trailblazers changed the game.

[00:11:40]>> Tell me about that first time you remember hearing yourself on the radio.

[00:11:44]I was in a taxi cab and we were rushing to the the tube or whatever they call it in London and all of a sudden I heard a song and I was like that sounds familiar. I know that song and then it hits you and I was like this is it. This is the moment. This is the first time.

[00:12:00]This is the first time I heard on the radio.

[00:12:02]>> She's the [music] Grammy winning force behind Come to My Window. come to my window and I [music] need to wake up now.

[00:12:15]>> And taking home an Academy Award in 2007 for her song featured in the documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.

[00:12:22]>> Thank you, Academy. This is great. Thank you.

[00:12:25]>> The guitar is a getaway for me. [music] It's a getaway machine. I get better and better, and that's exciting for me to at this age be able to get better at something.

[00:12:35]The 65-year-old self-proclaimed spiritual rocker has been breaking barriers for women and queer artists for decades.

[00:12:42]>> I know the people have been with me for 30, you know, 20, 10, 20, 30 years. This is it's a safe place.

[00:12:48]>> It's our supportive. It is our tribe.

[00:12:52]>> In 1993, she made history as the first prominent female rock artist to come out as gay, famously at a ball celebrating President Bill Clinton's inauguration.

[00:13:02]>> I didn't plan on doing You didn't plan on coming out?

[00:13:04]>> No, no, no. I was I was planning on coming out. 33 years later, I still have people coming up to me saying in high school it meant so much that there was someone who was out.

[00:13:14]>> Y'all are two women who have stood in your power it feels like from the jump.

[00:13:18]You've never been afraid.

[00:13:19]>> Oh, I've been afraid. I'm just so determined. My personal life stinks uh sometimes and I just have the same issues as everyone else. But I just think we are so driven.

[00:13:33]>> She's the country music hall of famer breaking out as a teenager alongside her mother Naomi as the Juds.

[00:13:41]>> Mama [music] crazy.

[00:13:46][singing and music] >> Their harmony defined 80s country radio.

[00:13:51]A motheraughter duo with more than a dozen number one hits like Grandpa Tell Me about the good old days.

[00:14:00]Tell [singing] me about [music] the good old days.

[00:14:05]>> We went from welfare to millionaire.

[00:14:07]>> Yeah.

[00:14:07]>> Pretty quickly. I didn't even know how to do my taxes, [laughter] >> let alone be famous.

[00:14:13]>> Five Grammy awards, nine CMA awards, and over 20 million records sold, becoming certified country music royalty.

[00:14:23]Winona's sister Ashley also breaking out as an actor starring in Double Jeopardy.

[00:14:28]>> I've been patient for six years.

[00:14:31]>> Do I have >> I want my child.

[00:14:35]>> But tragedy struck in [music] 2022 on the eve of the Jud's induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The family matriarch took her own life.

[00:14:45]>> Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

[00:14:49]>> Yeah.

[00:14:50]And every day that I show up and I sing these songs, I'm a little bit more healed each time.

[00:14:56]>> Yeah.

[00:14:57]>> A little bit more.

[00:14:59]>> Today, the 62-year-old's first solo album in a decade, The Hard Truth, lays an intimate and honest look at life after loss.

[00:15:13]>> How's your mom still with you today?

[00:15:16]>> Through the music. I look up a lot when people ask me the other day uh as ask asked me why I look up so much.

[00:15:22]>> I'm just having a conversation with her constantly >> talking to her and it's the weirdest thing. It's the heaviest thing I've ever been through in my life and it's made me a better person, not bitter. And that's the key right there.

[00:15:35]>> Melissa also using music to help navigate grief in her latest project titled Rise. [music] then you're going to rise.

[00:15:49]>> In 2020, Melissa lost her 21-year-old son, Becket, to [music] opioid addiction.

[00:15:54]>> I want to talk a little bit about the grief that you guys have experienced because it's been still feels fresh.

[00:15:59]Know Melissa, you lost your son, Becket, to opioid addiction. You've turned that into the good work, the Average Foundation. What are you trying to offer parents? Oh, Becket was a special young man. I would say to parents, losing a child is devastating. There's nothing you can compare it with. The best thing you can do for your child or for the memory of that child is to take care of yourself, to find your joy.

[00:16:28]But I'm >> And they're giving back. $1 from every ticket to causes close to home. The Ethridge Foundation and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. And as for a jam session in the studio, it doesn't seem totally off the table. Do we have a joint record in the work?

[00:16:52]>> God, I would love it.

[00:16:53]>> Wouldn't it be fun?

[00:16:53]>> I would be so into it. I've never done it before. Music is never over.

[00:16:59]>> This life I don't understand how people say they retire because I don't think that's [laughter] a word. I know >> that's like saying I'm going to stop using my right arm.

[00:17:08][screaming] >> You don't you'll just make music till you can't.

[00:17:16]>> Our thanks to Ashen Melissa Ethridge and Winona Jud are on tour through September. When we come back, get ready to carve those pumpkins. [music] the new viral trend that is pushing the fall holiday into the summer.

[00:17:37]Finally, Halloween is not just around the corner, and we're not suggesting you brush summer away, but the spooky time of year is already here. Here's GMA's Sam Champion with tonight's Nightlight.

[00:17:50]>> It might feel ghastly.

[00:17:52]>> Baby, at home has their Halloween stuff already out. I don't care, but it's July.

[00:17:55]>> It might feel witchy.

[00:17:57]>> So, it's socially acceptable to celebrate Halloween. Let's go.

[00:18:00]>> Even with summer heating up, stores across the country are already scaring up big Halloween business.

[00:18:08]Shoppers joining in the delight and fright on social media, screaming out what they call code orange alerts with every new drop in haunted hall. Posts on Tik Tok up 253% in the last month. I think consumers are looking for the fun of Halloween and retailers are responding to that.

[00:18:26]>> This early start to spooky season comes as the summer weeen trend is hitting new heights this year, up more than 220% in the last month and brands are looking to capitalize on the excitement going bigger than ever.

[00:18:40]>> There's a code orange here at IKEA. Gen Z and even Gen Alpha, these are the kids under 14. clicks, their shares, their saves are training feeds, and they've been engaging with Halloween content all year round.

[00:18:53]Our thanks to Sam. And that's Night Line for this evening. Watch all of our full episodes on Disney Plus and Hulu. We'll see you right back here tomorrow. Thanks for the company, America. Good night.