For seven months, the grim discovery of a teenage girl’s dismembered remains in the trunk of singer D4vd’s abandoned Tesla remained a mystery as it raised more questions than answers.
Now, prosecutors say they have them.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman said 21-year-old D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, murdered and dismembered 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, in order to protect his career as a rising alt-pop artist after she threatened to report their sexual relationship. A criminal complaint alleged sexual abuse that started when she was just 13 years old and happened between September 2023 and September 2024.
The “brutal and horrific murder” occurred around April 23, 2025, according to prosecutors, who said Rivas Hernandez was killed with a sharp object.
Burke was formally charged with first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14, and mutilating a body in the killing of Rivas Hernandez, whose mutilated body was found in the trunk of a car registered to the singer, Hochman announced Monday.
Prosecutors also noted special circumstances – lying in wait, committing the crime for financial gain and murdering a witness — that could make the case eligible for the death penalty.
While the death penalty remains legal in California, the state currently does not execute inmates. But people can still be charged under it in case the state lifts its moratorium and resumes executions. Prosecutors have not announced whether they will seek it.
Rivas Hernandez was 13 years old when she was first reported missing by her family in 2024. She was last known to be alive on April 23, 2025, when she went to Burke’s Hollywood Hills home, Hochman said.
“Celeste, a 14-year-old at that time, went to Mr. Burke’s house in the Hollywood Hills. She was never heard from again,” he said. “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.”
Burke, who was arrested in mid-April and is being held without bail, has denied the allegations, according to his attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter.
“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 attorneys said in a statement shared after the arrest.
“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.”
Here’s what we know about the case:
What happened to Celeste?
Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who was described as a runaway by authorities, was reported missing from Lake Elsinore, California in 2024, when she was 13 years old. She would be reported missing multiple times over the following months, including in March, and then for a final time in April, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
Prosecutors said she was 14 years old when she was killed. She was last heard from on April 23, 2025, after arriving at Burke’s home.
On September 8, 2025 – a day after she would have turned 15 – her dismembered and decomposing body was found inside a cadaver bag in the front trunk of a Tesla that had been towed from a Hollywood Hills street to an impound lot.
Police had responded to the impound yard, about a mile from Burke’s home, after an employee reported a foul odor coming from the vehicle. Inside, investigators found the teen’s remains.
Officials said it appeared she had been dead for an extended period of time before she was discovered.
According to court documents, the bag was “covered with insects and a strong odor of decay,” and when detectives partially unzipped it, they “observed a decomposed head and torso.”
Investigators from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office removed the bag and “discovered the arms and legs had been severed from the body,” according to court documents. A second black bag was found under the first, and more body parts were inside it.
At the time that her remains were found, Burke was on tour promoting his album “Withered.” He later canceled remaining shows as the case drew national attention.
The connection between Celeste and D4vd
Investigators have pointed to multiple connections between Rivas Hernandez and Burke in the months before she disappeared.
In January 2024, she appeared with him in a Twitch livestream, joking with the singer until he said, “Delete everything.” Photos later surfaced showing Burke near her neighborhood in a black Tesla.
Around that time, a concerned person emailed an address associated with him, referencing rumors about her disappearance and urging: “please do the right thing and take her home. Her parents are very worried,” CNN reported.
Rivas Hernandez returned home shortly after that email, according to CNN, but was reported missing again in March, and then for a final time in April.
Police Chief Jim McDonnell that investigators later determined the teen had been involved in a sexual relationship with Burke, an allegation now reflected in the criminal charges.
A grand jury probe – and mounting evidence
Before charges were filed, Burke had been the focus of a secret grand jury investigation, but had not been named a suspect in Rivas Hernandez’s murder.
Court filings only described him as a “target” and said Rivas Hernandez “may have been the victim of foul play.”
The probe was officially secret, but its existence — and his designation as its target — was revealed in February when his mother, father and brother objected in a Texas court to subpoenas demanding they testify.
The 2023 Tesla Model Y was registered in the singer’s name at the Texas address of his subpoenaed family members, according to court filings from prosecutors. It had been towed from an upscale Hollywood Hills neighborhood where it had been sitting as though it was abandoned.
No cause of death has been publicly revealed, and police had a judge to block the release of details from the autopsy.
On Friday, the medical examiner told The Associated Press the court order remained in place after Burke’s arrest, and suggested asking the police whether they would ask to lift it. Hochman said when he announced the charges that the coroner’s report would be released “shortly.”
Burke is now charged with first-degree murder, along with sex crime and mutilation counts tied to the killing.
Prosecutors allege he killed Celeste to protect his career and that she was a witness in the case against him.
The rise and fall of D4vd
Burke rose to fame in 2022 with the viral hit “Romantic Homicide,” building a large Gen Z following with his blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop.
He later signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records, releasing “Petals to Thorns” and “The Lost Petals” before his debut album, “Withered.”
His rapid rise – and the severity of the charges he now faces – have intensified scrutiny on both the case and his career.
The family’s response
Rivas Hernandez’s family has largely remained out of the public eye but after her body was found, they released a statement that they were “heartbroken and devastated” by the loss and said the teenager was “a beloved daughter, sister, cousin and friend.”
The family is expected to participate in court proceedings, prosecutors said.
“I had the chance to meet with some of the family members of Celeste and their grief is incalculable as to what happened to their daughter,” Hochman said.
Their attorney has said the family is committed to ensuring her voice is heard as the case moves forward.
About the Author
