Singer D4vd charged with murder in slaying of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez

LOS ANGELES - David Anthony Burke - the 21-year-old music star better known as D4vd - repeatedly sexually abused a teenage girl before murdering her and dismembering her body in order to protect his ascendant music career, prosecutors alleged Monday.

Burke was charged with murder, repeated sexual abuse of a minor and mutilation of human remains in connection with the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, according to a criminal complaint made public late Monday morning.

District Attorney Nathan Hochman said "the brutal and horrific murder" happened last April, when Celeste was last seen entering Burke's Hollywood Hills home. After that, Hochman said, she was "not heard from again."

"A parent's nightmare is a situation where your daughter goes out one night and never comes back," he said.

D4vd has been linked to the girl's death for months, since reports surfaced that Celeste's badly decomposed body was found in the trunk of a Tesla that belonged to the singer at a Hollywood tow yard. According to the complaint filed Monday, Burke killed Celeste on April 23, 2025, then mutilated her corpse about two weeks later in early May.

Burke has denied all wrongdoing through his attorneys.

"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," his legal team of Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter said in a statement.

Burke wore a black shirt during his arraignment and stood silent with his hands behind his back. His legal team entered a plea of not guilty and Berk demanded a preliminary hearing take place within 10 days, which is required by law. He is being held without bail.

Hochman said there is "physical, forensic and digital" evidence tying the singer to the crime. In court, Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman said prosecutors have amassed "40 terabytes" worth of evidence in the case. Burke is due back in court later this week.

The prosecutor's office filed murder with special circumstances charges Monday, alleging Burke killed Celeste for financial gain and because she was a witness to a crime - her own sexual abuse at the singer's hands. The abuse started on Sept. 7, 2023 - Celeste's 13th birthday - and lasted for at least one year, according to the complaint.

"Celeste was just a child, under 14 years old, when David Burke allegedly engaged in repeated lewd and lascivious sexual relations with her," Hochman said in a statement.

Celeste had run away from her Lake Elsinore home before and was reported missing at least three times in 2024, according to Riverside County authorities. During that time frame, she appeared alongside D4vd online, and law enforcement sources said she lived at a rental home with the singer. The pair met through social media, sources previously told the Los Angeles Times.

Burke killed the girl after "she threatened to expose his criminal conduct and devastate his musical career," Hochman said.

If convicted as charged, Burke would face life in prison without the possibility of parole - or, potentially, the death penalty. A review board will be convened to determine whether prosecutors can seek capital punishment.

Los Angeles police Chief Jim McDonnell said authorities had learned in the investigation that Burke was sexually abusing the teen, but authorities declined to elaborate on the details of how they believed it was linked to her disappearance.

Police were not actively investigating the abuse at the time Celeste disappeared, according to Josh Rubenstein, communications director for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

Shortly before noon on Monday, L.A. County deputies were investigating a "possible bomb threat" at the courthouse, according to Nicole Nishida, a sheriff's department spokesperson. It was unclear whether the incident was related to the case. The building was not evacuated but the Los Angeles Police Department's bomb squad was called in, Nishida said.

Burke was arrested by Los Angeles police late last Thursday at a residence in Hollywood near Sunset Boulevard. He surrendered after a phalanx of heavily armed officers stormed the street.

Celeste was reported missing in Riverside County last summer. Her body was found in the trunk of a Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard on Sept. 8, 2025, and news quickly surfaced that the vehicle was registered to Burke. The ascendant singer - whose music features in the wildly popular video game "Fortnite" and who has collaborated with Kali Uchis and 21 Savage - had just started a national tour in support of his debut album, "Withered," when reports surfaced of his potential link to the teen's death.

Some of the images D4vd used in conjunction with his music gained renewed scrutiny in the wake of Celeste's death.

The Queens-born vocalist has appeared in a music video filled with violent imagery: a young woman with an apparent chest wound lies on a bed as the singer hovers over her, blindfolded, his white shirt spattered with blood. In another video, "One More Dance," D4vd drags a person - who bears the singer's likeness - to a car, where a couple stuffs the person into the trunk.

As Burke canceled his tour, investigators began meticulously building a case. In November, the Times reported that L.A. County prosecutors had convened a secret grand jury to collect evidence in connection with Celeste's killing. Investigative grand juries cannot return indictments against defendants, but they are often used to enshrine evidence and subpoena witnesses for a future criminal proceeding. Earlier this year, a member of D4vd's entourage, Neo Langston, was arrested in Montana after he attempted to avoid appearing before the L.A. grand jury.

The Los Angeles County medical examiner's office was barred from revealing a cause of death in the case, but court records made public in February said Celeste's limbs were severed from her body when she was found.

Hochman said prosecutors will make court filings that will allow the coroner to release the details of the girl's death. The medical examiner's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 10:38 AM.