A first-degree murder charge is eligible for the death penalty if he is found guilty.
Hernandez disappeared on April 5, 2024, when she was 13 years old, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found dead in a car registered in the name of singer D4vd after being missing for more than a year. Photo / GoFundMe
Authorities alleged Burke then sexually abused her over the next year, according to Al Jazeera.
Hochman said Hernandez then visited Burke’s house on April 23, 2025, and “she was never heard from again”.
Police found her severely decomposed body on September 8, 2025, at Hollywood Tow after the vehicle was impounded. A tow yard worker reported a foul smell coming from the car, prompting detectives to attend. Hernandez would have turned 15 the next day.
Law enforcement sources told the LA Times the car had been abandoned in the Hollywood Hills for five days before it was towed.
Hernandez may have been dead for several weeks, police said last September, per NBC Los Angeles.
Her name was initially recorded with the county medical examiner as Celeste Rivas before being updated to include her full surname, according to the Times.
D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, was taken into custody at a Hollywood Hills property on April 16. Photo / D4vd
No cause of death has been announced by authorities. The court blocked the medical examiner from releasing findings to ensure the police have access to the information before the public, according to the BBC.
Detectives later searched a property on Doheny Drive, north of Sunset Boulevard, seizing items including electronics and computers.
A grand jury began hearing evidence about the case in December, but Burke’s arrest marked a major development since then, according to the BBC.
Burke’s next hearing will be on April 23.