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<\/p>\nDA: Singer ‘killed 14-year-old girl’ due to testify about his sexual abuse<\/p>\n
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Singer D4vd has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered remains <\/a>were found in the trunk of the musician\u2019s apparently abandoned Tesla<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 21-year-old singer, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, was arrested<\/a> Thursday in the Hollywood Hills<\/a>, seven months after the teen\u2019s body was found.<\/a><\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n Hochman noted the murder charges included special circumstances \u2014 lying in wait, committing crime for financial gain and murdering the witness in an investigation \u2014 that could carry the death penalty<\/a> if convicted. Burke pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment on Monday afternoon. He is being held on no bail. <\/p>\n \u201dI 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,\u201d Hochman said Monday. <\/p>\n D4vd, pronounced \u201cDavid,\u201d 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 \u201cRomantic Homicide,\u201d which peaked at No. 4 on Billboard\u2019s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s body was found dismembered in the trunk of the musician\u2019s apparently abandoned Tesla.Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman accused D4vd of engaging in \u201crepeated lewd and lascivious sexual relations\u201d with Rivas Hernandez.Prosecutors could seek the death penalty in D4vd\u2019s case. D4vd went viral on TikTok in 2022 with the hit \u201cRomantic Homicide,\u201d which peaked at No. 4 on Billboard\u2019s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.Read more<\/p>\n Rachel Dobkin20 April 2026 23:53<\/p>\n <\/a>Charges expected today for singer D4vd<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n Andrea Cavallier20 April 2026 15:58<\/p>\n <\/a>Who is d4vd?<\/p>\n D4vd, pronounced \u201cDavid,\u201d whose real name is David Anthony Burke, rose to fame in 2022 with the viral TikTok hit \u201cRomantic Homicide,\u201d gaining a large Gen-Z following for his blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop.<\/p>\n He later signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records, releasing the EPs \u201cPetals to Thorns\u201d and \u201cThe Lost Petals\u201d before debuting his full-length album, \u201cWithered.\u201d<\/p>\n When the teen\u2019s body was discovered in his Tesla in September, d4vd had been on tour in support of his first full-length album, \u201cWithered.\u201d <\/p>\n Later, the last two North American shows, in San Francisco and Los Angeles, along with a scheduled performance at LA\u2019s Grammy Museum, were canceled, as was the European tour that was to have begun in Norway.<\/p>\n Andrea Cavallier20 April 2026 16:06<\/p>\n <\/a>Missing teen Celeste Rivas Hernandez found in trunk of d4vd’s Tesla<\/p>\n Celeste Rivas Hernandez was just 13 years old when she was first reported missing from Lake Elsinore, southeast of Los Angeles, in February 2024.<\/p>\n She would be reported missing three times over the following months.<\/p>\n On September 8, 2025 \u2013 a day after she would have turned 15 \u2013 her dismembered body was discovered inside a cadaver bag in the trunk of a Tesla that had been towed from a Hollywood Hills street. <\/p>\n The car was registered to singer d4vd. <\/p>\n According to court documents, an employee noticed a foul odor and alerted police, leading to the discovery of Celeste\u2019s remains.<\/p>\n Investigators found the bag \u201ccovered with insects and a strong odor of decay,\u201d and when it was partially unzipped, they \u201cobserved a decomposed head and torso.\u201d <\/p>\n Her limbs had been severed and placed in a second bag under the other one.<\/p>\n Her death has been ruled a homicide, but the cause has not been publicly released. <\/p>\n Andrea Cavallier20 April 2026 16:11<\/p>\n <\/a>Celeste\u2019s links to d4vd<\/p>\n Authorities have tied the teen to d4vd months before her disappearance.<\/p>\n In January 2024, Celeste appeared alongside him in a Twitch livestream, where they joked together into the early morning hours before he said, \u201cDelete everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Photos later surfaced showing d4vd near Celeste\u2019s neighborhood in a black Tesla. Those images were posted to TikTok and later verified.<\/p>\n Around the same time, a concerned individual emailed an address associated with the singer, referencing rumors about Celeste\u2019s disappearance and urging: \u201cplease do the right thing and take her home. Her parents are very worried.\u201d The sender later confirmed the message\u2019s authenticity, according to CNN. <\/p>\n 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\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n Andrea Cavallier20 April 2026 17:00<\/p>\n <\/a>D4vd arrested 7 months after teen’s body found<\/p>\n D4vd was taken into custody after officers breached a Hollywood Hills home using a ramming device, according to police.<\/p>\n The home is just over a mile from the tow yard where the teen\u2019s body was found in his car.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cLet us be clear \u2014 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,\u201d the defense lawyers said. <\/p>\n \u201cWe will vigorously defend David\u2019s innocence.\u201d<\/p>\n Andrea Cavallier20 April 2026 17:20<\/p>\n <\/a>\u2018It broke my heart\u2019<\/p>\n A neighbor created a memorial of pictures, candles and flowers dedicated to Celeste Rivas Hernandez in front of the slain teen\u2019s Lake Elsinore home. <\/p>\n Kayleigh Cortez added lights spelling the teen’s name after getting news that there was an arrest in her murder, ABC7 reported. <\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n Cortez started the memorial soon after Rivas Hernandez’s body was found last September. <\/p>\n “It broke my heart. I have a 14-year-old daughter, and they would have gone to high school together,” Cortez said.<\/p>\n Andrea Cavallier20 April 2026 17:45<\/p>\n <\/a>Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s family expected to be at presser<\/p>\n Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s family is expected to attend the presser and court hearing, their attorney said.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n Andrea Cavallier20 April 2026 17:52<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2210941206.jpg\")
(Getty)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2025-09-18-124413.jpeg\")
(Riverside County Sheriff)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2026-04-17T220002Z_1950523552_RC26RKA1814Y_RTRMADP_3_USA-CRIME-D4VD-MEMORIAL.jpg\")
(Reuters)![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2026-04-17T220002Z_1667940388_RC26RKAFOCRO_RTRMADP_3_USA-CRIME-D4VD-MEMORIAL.jpg\")
(Reuters)![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2026-04-17T220003Z_244618844_RC26RKAG80HQ_RTRMADP_3_USA-CRIME-D4VD-MEMORIAL.jpg\")
(Reuters)<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/D4vd-mugshot.jpeg\")
(Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office)<\/p>\n