Photo: Los Angeles Police Department
D4vd has officially been charged with the murder of Celesta Rivas Hernandez.
The District Attorney's Office of Los Angeles County has filed charges against the singer, born David Anthony Burke, during a press conference held on Monday, April 20. District Attorney Nathan Hochman confirmed Burke has been indicted on first-degree murder with special circumstances, mutilating a body, and lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14. The first-degree murder charge with special circumstances makes him eligible for the death penalty. D4vd is currently in custody after he was arrested at his home in Hollywood Hills. He's set to be arraigned this afternoon.
D.A. Hochman says Celeste Rivas Hernandez was last seen entering Burke's home on April 23, 2025, and was never seen again. He alleged that he killed the 14-year-old girl for "financial gain" while inside the home. He suggested that the teen threatened to reveal the details of their alleged sexual relationship and invited her to the home to kill her. LAPD Police Chief Jim McDonnell said they have evidence that suggests Burke and Celeste had sexual encounters.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez's body was discovered in two bags that were stored in the front trunk of a Tesla that's registered to Burke back in September. The car was towed from in front of his home a few days before police found her body. In the weeks after her body was discovered, Internet sleuths showed various connections between the singer and the teen from matching tattoos to videos they filmed together inside his home.
The house in Hollywood Hills, which was a temporary home his manager rented, was raided as part of the investigation. Authorities left with devices and scoured the home for traces of blood. A grand jury was convened in November to present the case against Burke. The singer's inner circle, from his tour manager to his close friend, was interviewed. His family, including his mother, father, and brother, were subpoenaed to appear in front of the grand jury.
Burke is being held in custody without bail. His attorneys, Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter, maintain that Burke "was not the cause of her death."
“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," they said in a statement after his arrest.