Featured Image Credit: Joshua Applegate/WireImage
Topics: Crime, Los Angeles, Music, US News
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: Crime, Los Angeles, Music, US News
D4vd has officially been charged with first-degree murder after the remains of a teenage girl were found in his car.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced the charges today (April 20), just a few days after the 21-year-old singer was arrested.
The dismembered body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez was discovered in D4vd's Tesla last year, sparking an investigation into the matter.
The teenage girl had been reported missing by her parents in 2024. She was just 13 years old at the time of her disappearance and is believed to have been 14 when she died, AP News reports.
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Per the news outlet, D4vd's (real name David Burke) charges include special circumstances — lying in wait, committing a crime for financial gain and murdering the witness in an investigation.
According to Hochman, there's evidence to suggest that Celeste was a witness to an investigation of sexual acts committed by Burke while she was under 14 years old, says BBC News.
The young girl was last seen in April 2025 after visiting D4vd's Hollywood Hills home. Her remains were then discovered in a Tesla registered in D4vd's name five months later.
Following his arrest on April 17, his lawyers spoke out and insisted that he's innocent.
Attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter issued the following statement to LADbible Group: "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.
"There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed. David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence."
Celeste Rivas Hernandez, aged 13, is reported missing by her family from Lake Elsinore, California. It is the third time she is reported missing that year, but tragically she is never seen by her parents again.
D4vd’s debut album Withered is released. It debuts at No. 13 on the Billboard chart, with 30,000 units sold in the first week. He tells The Hollywood Reporter that 80 percent of the album was made on his phone and he recorded vocal takes in his sister’s closet.
D4vd begins a world tour, starting with a gig in Del Mar, California.
Hernandez’s severely decomposed body is found in the front trunk of a Tesla linked to D4vd. D4vd’s representatives say he is cooperating with the investigation.
D4vd performs as planned at The Fillmore Minneapolis, despite the ongoing investigation around Rivas’ death.
Rivas’ family create a fundraiser and release a statement, which reads: “As many of you know, Celeste Rivas Hernandez has been identified as the body found last week. She was a beloved daughter, sister, cousin, and friend. Her family is heartbroken and devastated by this tragic loss. Any funds you are able to donate are greatly appreciated.” More than $24,000 is raised for them.
D4vd cancels the rest of his world tour, and the deluxe version of his debut album is not released as planned.
The Los Angeles medical examiners officer receives a court order preventing any details of Rivas’ death from being released to the public.
D4vd is arrested and held without bail.
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