Singer D4vd, real name David Burke, has been charged with first-degree murder in the case of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The investigation began on September 8, 2025, when Hernandez’s body was found dismembered in the trunk of Burke’s Tesla in a Hollywood Hills impound lot.
Authorities arrested the 21-year-old singer on April 16, 2026. Reports indicate several “special circumstances” included in the murder charge. These include “lying in wait, committing crime for financial gain, and murdering the witness in an investigation,” according to AP News.
If prosecutors seek to press these circumstances during trial, it’s possible they could carry the death penalty. Additionally, reports indicate that Burke’s charges include “lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14” and “mutilating a body.”
David Burke’s legal team released a statement after his arrest, claiming that the evidence would prove his innocence.
“Let us be clear,” they said, “The actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez, and he was not the cause of her death.”
D4vd’s Lawyers Claim Innocence, While Murder Charges Could Potentially Carry the Death Penalty
Celeste Rivas Hernandez was first reported missing from her Lake Elsinore home in 2024, when she was 13 years old. Los Angeles County authorities speculated that her murder occurred after she turned 14.
LAPD did not immediately name Burke a suspect after finding Hernandez’s heavily decomposed remains in his abandoned Tesla. However, he was under investigation during that time, a fact which remained confidential until February, when his family appeared in court to reject demands to testify.
Until his arrest on April 16, Burke’s lawyers did not publicly comment on the case or their client’s alleged involvement. With this new development, his team stated they “will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”
Following the discovery of Hernandez’s remains, the LAPD obtained a court order to block the results of the subsequent autopsy. As such, the official cause of death remains hidden from the public. But according to L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, the coroner’s report will be released “shortly,” per AP News.
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