One of the world’s most popular video games, Fortnite, is offering a refund to players who bought in-game items connected to musician D4vd, who is accused of killing a 14-year-old girl.
Players of the game have called on Epic Games to remove emotes and cosmetics associated with D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke. Some of his songs were also featured in the game.
“We hear the concerns,” Fortnite Status wrote in a social media post. “We have a bunch of changes we’re rolling out over time. The first one will be available on Tuesday April 28th, when anyone who purchased one of these items will be able to get an immediate self-service refund. And, right now, players who request refunds for D4vd cosmetics via player support can be refunded.”
When he was a teen, Burke posted videos on YouTube of himself playing the game and later created its first official anthem. The 21-year-old singer was arrested by Los Angeles police on April 16 and charged with murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child and corpse mutilation, according to a criminal complaint. He pleaded not guilty.
The remains of Celeste Rivas Hernandez were found last September in the trunk of a Tesla that was registered to Burke. The body was found after the vehicle was impounded following a report that it was abandoned in the Hollywood Hills near a home that the Burke was residing in.
Hernandez was reported missing from her family’s Lake Elsinore neighborhood three times in 2024, and she was spotted at some of D4vd’s concerts during that time period.
Hernandez was last seen at Burke’s Hollywood Hills residence last April. She “threatened to expose his criminal conduct and devastate his musical career,” according to L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman.
Prosecutors said that police discovered child sexual abuse material on a cellphone belonging to Burke.
A preliminary hearing, in which prosecutors will make much of their evidence against Burke public, is scheduled for May 1.
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