Singer faces first-degree homicide and extra fees that would result in life with out parole or the loss of life penalty.
Singer D4vd has been charged in america with homicide within the loss of life of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a 14-year-old woman who was final seen alive almost a 12 months in the past.
The 21-year-old musician, whose authorized identify is David Burke, faces first-degree homicide and extra fees, together with lewd acts with a minor and mutilation of a physique. D4vd pleaded not responsible on Monday.
Beneficial Tales
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The prosecutor mentioned Rivas Hernandez’s dismembered and decomposed physique was found in September inside an apparently deserted Tesla linked to the singer.
Authorities mentioned the case consists of particular circumstances – mendacity in wait, committing crime for monetary acquire and the alleged killing of the witness in an investigation – making Burke eligible for all times with out parole or the loss of life penalty.
Los Angeles County District Lawyer Nathan Hochman mentioned prosecutors would resolve later whether or not to hunt the loss of life penalty.
Burke was arrested at a house in Hollywood on Thursday and was being held with out bail.
The witness he’s alleged to have killed is Rivas Hernandez, who might have given testimony concerning the intercourse crime allegations.
Rivas Hernandez had disappeared in 2024, when she was 13. That was her age when, in response to an allegation in a legal grievance, the singer engaged in steady sexual abuse of her for a minimum of a 12 months from September 2023 to September 2024.
Hochman mentioned authorities believed the woman went to D4vd’s Hollywood Hills residence on April 23, 2025, and “was by no means heard from once more”.
Burke’s attorneys mentioned on Monday that the proof would present he’s harmless.
“The precise proof on this case will present that David Burke didn’t homicide Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the reason for her loss of life,” they mentioned. “We’ll vigorously defend David’s innocence.”
Court docket paperwork define secret probe
The singer had been underneath investigation by a Los Angeles County grand jury trying into the loss of life.
The probe was formally secret, however its existence, and his designation as its goal, was revealed in February when his mom, father and brother objected in a Texas courtroom to subpoenas demanding they testify.
The 2023 Tesla Mannequin Y was registered within the singer’s identify at their tackle, in response to courtroom filings. Authorities didn’t publicly acknowledge him as a suspect till his arrest.
Police investigators looking the Tesla in a tow yard discovered a cadaver bag “lined with bugs and a robust odor of decay”, courtroom paperwork mentioned.
Detectives partially unzipped a bag and located a head and torso.
Investigators from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Workplace eliminated the bag and “found the legs and arms had been severed from the physique”, in response to courtroom paperwork.
A second black bag was discovered underneath the primary, and dismembered physique elements had been inside it. No explanation for loss of life has been publicly revealed, and police bought a choose to dam the discharge of particulars of the post-mortem.
The courtroom order was anticipated to be lifted after the costs.
Rising to fame
D4vd gained reputation amongst Gen Z for his mix of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. He went viral on TikTok in 2022 with the hit Romantic Murder, which peaked at quantity 4 on Billboard’s Scorching Rock & Different Songs chart.
He then signed with Darkroom and Interscope Data, and launched his debut EP, Petals to Thorns and a follow-up, The Misplaced Petals, in 2023.
When the physique was found, the singer continued his North American tour, however when stories of his attainable involvement unfold broadly, he cancelled the ultimate two exhibits and a European tour that was to comply with.
