The singer, whose real name is D4vd Burke, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the 14-year-old's death
Credit: Charley Gallay/Getty for Riot/Netflix; GoFundMe
NEED TO KNOW
- Singer D4vd has been charged with murder and other offenses in connection with the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez
- Prosecutors allege in newly released court documents that Burke stabbed her multiple times and used a chainsaw and possibly other tools to dismember her in April 2025
- Burke’s attorneys deny the allegations as prosecutors weigh pursuing the death penalty in the case against him
Prosecutors have released more details in the case against D4vd, who is accused of killing teen Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
The musician, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, was arrested on April 16 and later charged with murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail ahead of his trial.
Prosecutors allege Burke, now 21, killed the 14-year-old girl on April 23, 2025, dismembered her nearly two weeks later, and left her remains in the trunk of his Tesla, which was reported abandoned in the Hollywood Hills and later impounded.
In a preliminary hearing brief released on Wednesday, April 29, shortly after Burke appeared in court, prosecutors said on that night, Burke ordered an Uber for Rivas to his home before he "stabbed the victim to death multiple times" and "stood by while she bled out."
Prosecutors allege he then placed her body in an inflatable pool "to prevent the blood from spilling onto his garage floor" and used a "chainsaw and perhaps other tools" to dismember her body, per the brief. Those plastic fragments were found in the victim's remains and were a match to the inflatable pool allegedly purchased by Burke under a fake name in May 2025.
The girl's remains were found in two separate bags after the LAPD received reports of a foul odor coming from the car on Sept. 8, 2025, one day after Rivas' 15th birthday.
Her cause of death has was previously determined to be "multiple penetrating injuries caused by object(s)" according to a report obtained by PEOPLE on Wednesday, April 22. Her manner of death was ruled a homicide.
At the time of Rivas' killing, Burke was allegedly under investigation for sexually abusing her. In the preliminary hearing brief, prosecutors claim that Burke and Hernandez argued the night before she was killed about his relationships with other women, and that she threatened to expose their relationship and "destroy" his music career.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has claimed that on the night she was killed, Rivas threatened to expose Burke and harm his music career.
Burke released his debut album Withered two days later, on April 25, 2025.
At a procedural hearing held last week, Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman said the prosecution possesses roughly 40 terabytes of evidence and claimed investigators found “a significant amount of child pornography" on Burke's phone.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
His attorneys, Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter, said in a statement following his arrest that he "was not the cause" of the girl's death, adding they plan to “vigorously defend David's innocence.”
Due to special circumstances in Burke's case, the murder charge carries a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Hochman said his office had not decided whether to pursue the death penalty.
Burke's preliminary hearing has been rescheduled for May 26. He's due back in court for a status conference on May 12.
Read the full article here
