DA: Singer ‘killed 14-year-old girl’ due to testify about his sexual abuse
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Singer D4vd has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered remains were found in the trunk of the musician’s apparently abandoned Tesla.
The 21-year-old singer, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, was arrested Thursday in the Hollywood Hills, seven months after the teen’s body was found.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Monday that Burke is charged with first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14, and mutilating a body in the killing of Rivas Hernandez.
Hochman noted the murder charges included special circumstances — lying in wait, committing crime for financial gain and murdering the witness in an investigation — that could carry the death penalty if convicted. Burke pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment on Monday afternoon. He is being held on no bail.
”I am a parent of three children, and a parent’s nightmare is a situation where your daughter goes out one night and never comes back, as we will show in a court of law,” Hochman said Monday.
D4vd, pronounced “David,” gained popularity among Gen-Z fans for his blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. He went viral on TikTok in 2022 with the hit “Romantic Homicide,” which peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.
Recap: D4vd arraigned on murder chargeSinger D4vd pleaded not guilty Monday to the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.The 21-year-old, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, was arraigned at a Los Angeles courthouse Monday after being arrested Thursday in the Hollywood Hills. Seven months ago, Rivas Hernandez’s body was found dismembered in the trunk of the musician’s apparently abandoned Tesla.Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman accused D4vd of engaging in “repeated lewd and lascivious sexual relations” with Rivas Hernandez.Prosecutors could seek the death penalty in D4vd’s case. D4vd went viral on TikTok in 2022 with the hit “Romantic Homicide,” which peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.Read more
Rachel Dobkin20 April 2026 23:53
Charges expected today for singer D4vd
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell are expected to announce charges today against d4vd in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
Follow along with The Independent as we provide updates from the press conference, which will start at 10 a.m. PT, 1 p.m. ET.
Andrea Cavallier20 April 2026 15:58
D4vd, pronounced “David,” whose real name is David Anthony Burke, rose to fame in 2022 with the viral TikTok hit “Romantic Homicide,” gaining a large Gen-Z following for his blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop.
He later signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records, releasing the EPs “Petals to Thorns” and “The Lost Petals” before debuting his full-length album, “Withered.”
When the teen’s body was discovered in his Tesla in September, d4vd had been on tour in support of his first full-length album, “Withered.”
Later, the last two North American shows, in San Francisco and Los Angeles, along with a scheduled performance at LA’s Grammy Museum, were canceled, as was the European tour that was to have begun in Norway.
(Getty)
Andrea Cavallier20 April 2026 16:06
Missing teen Celeste Rivas Hernandez found in trunk of d4vd’s Tesla
Celeste Rivas Hernandez was just 13 years old when she was first reported missing from Lake Elsinore, southeast of Los Angeles, in February 2024.
She would be reported missing three times over the following months.
On September 8, 2025 – a day after she would have turned 15 – her dismembered body was discovered inside a cadaver bag in the trunk of a Tesla that had been towed from a Hollywood Hills street.
The car was registered to singer d4vd.
According to court documents, an employee noticed a foul odor and alerted police, leading to the discovery of Celeste’s remains.
Investigators found the bag “covered with insects and a strong odor of decay,” and when it was partially unzipped, they “observed a decomposed head and torso.”
Her limbs had been severed and placed in a second bag under the other one.
Her death has been ruled a homicide, but the cause has not been publicly released.
(Riverside County Sheriff)
Andrea Cavallier20 April 2026 16:11
Authorities have tied the teen to d4vd months before her disappearance.
In January 2024, Celeste appeared alongside him in a Twitch livestream, where they joked together into the early morning hours before he said, “Delete everything.”
Photos later surfaced showing d4vd near Celeste’s neighborhood in a black Tesla. Those images were posted to TikTok and later verified.
Around the same time, a concerned individual emailed an address associated with the singer, referencing rumors about Celeste’s disappearance and urging: “please do the right thing and take her home. Her parents are very worried.” The sender later confirmed the message’s authenticity, according to CNN.
Celeste returned home shortly after that email, but was reported missing again in March, and then for a final time in April, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
Andrea Cavallier20 April 2026 17:00
D4vd arrested 7 months after teen’s body found
D4vd was taken into custody after officers breached a Hollywood Hills home using a ramming device, according to police.
The home is just over a mile from the tow yard where the teen’s body was found in his car.
Defense attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter stressed that D4vd has only been detained under suspicion, no indictment had been returned and no criminal complaint has been filed.
“Let us be clear — 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,” the defense lawyers said.
“We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”
Andrea Cavallier20 April 2026 17:20
A neighbor created a memorial of pictures, candles and flowers dedicated to Celeste Rivas Hernandez in front of the slain teen’s Lake Elsinore home.
Kayleigh Cortez added lights spelling the teen’s name after getting news that there was an arrest in her murder, ABC7 reported.
“I was sitting down at my table, and I jumped up and I’m like, ‘Let’s go, let’s get this justice,'” Cortez told the outlet.
Cortez started the memorial soon after Rivas Hernandez’s body was found last September.
“It broke my heart. I have a 14-year-old daughter, and they would have gone to high school together,” Cortez said.
(Reuters)
(Reuters)
(Reuters)
Andrea Cavallier20 April 2026 17:45
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s family expected to be at presser
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s family is expected to attend the presser and court hearing, their attorney said.
“The Rivas Hernandez family is committed to ensuring that Celeste’s voice is heard and her memory is honored throughout this process,” the attorney, Patrick Steinfeld, said in a statement.
Andrea Cavallier20 April 2026 17:52
Press conference on d4vd is now starting
The press conference on the arrest and possible charges of singer d4vd has started.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is expected to announce charges today against the singer for the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez whose body was found in the trunk of a Tesla owned by the musician.
D4vd was arrested last week and is currently being held without bail.
Andrea Cavallier20 April 2026 18:03
The mugshot of singer d4vd was revealed at the presser Monday
(Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office)
Andrea Cavallier20 April 2026 18:07