Singer D4vd, the 21-year-old alt-pop artist whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, was charged on Monday in Los Angeles with first-degree murder and other serious offences in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered remains were found in an abandoned Tesla last September. Burke pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and is being held without bail.
Los Angeles County prosecutors allege Burke had an illegal sexual relationship with Rivas Hernandez and killed her after she threatened to expose it, fearing it would destroy his rising music career. District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Burke then mutilated her body and concealed it in bags inside the vehicle. Prosecutors have filed special-circumstance allegations including lying in wait, financial gain and killing a witness, which could make Burke eligible for life without parole or the death penalty, although Reuters reported that prosecutors have not yet decided whether they will seek capital punishment.
Authorities say Rivas Hernandez was last seen alive nearly a year before the charges were filed. Her decomposing body was discovered in September 2025 after neighbours complained about a foul smell coming from a Tesla that had been impounded from the Hollywood Hills area. Investigators said the condition of the remains made it difficult for the medical examiner to determine the exact cause of death.
The case has shocked Los Angeles and the music industry because of Burke’s rapid rise to fame. He broke out in 2022 with the viral song “Romantic Homicide” and later became one of the better-known Gen Z acts in alt-pop, even performing at Coachella in 2025. Reuters reported that he had been on tour around the time the body was discovered.
Burke faces charges that include murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. His lawyers have denied the allegations and said the evidence will show he did not kill Rivas Hernandez and was not responsible for her death. The defense has requested a preliminary hearing, which would allow them to challenge the prosecution’s case in open court.
The victim, who lived in Lake Elsinore east of Los Angeles, had been reported missing by her mother in 2024 when she was 13, according to Associated Press reporting. The case remained under investigation for months before Burke was arrested on April 16 and formally charged four days later.
