The singer D4vd was charged this Monday with murder for the death of 14-year-old Hispanic Celeste Rivas Hernández, whose body was found in September 2025 in the trunk of a Tesla car in the name of the artist.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office reported in a statement that D4vd, 21 years old and whose valid name is David Burke, He was charged with first-degree murder, lewd acts with a minor under 14 years old, and mutilation of a corpse..
“These charges include the most serious charges that the prosecution can present.: first-degree murder with aggravated circumstances,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated at a news conference.
Keep reading: Singer D4vd would be the target of investigation in the case of Celeste Rivas, in Los Angeles
Hochman described one of the aggravating circumstances such as the alleged death of the young Hispanic woman for profitso that the singer could maintain his lucrative music career, which was threatened by Celeste, according to the prosecutor.
Celeste Rivas Hernández was reported missing in Lake Elsinore, in Riverside County, in April 2024, when the Hispanic woman was 13 years old. According to authorities, Celeste was 14 years old at the time of her death..
Prosecutors said the murder charges included aggravating circumstances: stalking, commission of a crime for profit and murder of the witness during an investigationwhich could carry the death penalty. It is unknown if the prosecution would request it.
Keep reading: Celeste Rivas’s body was not frozen or mutilated, says the Los Angeles police
Lawyers for Houston native D4vd said their client was not guiltyin a statement they issued after homicide detectives arrested him on Thursday, April 16, at a Hollywood Hills residence.
“Let’s be clear: the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernández and was not the cause of her death“The singer’s lawyers reiterated.
The remains of Celeste, who had been dead for a long time, were discovered in the Tesla vehicle, which had been towed from the Hollywood Hills on September 8after being reported as abandoned.
Keep reading: Court order forces the Los Angeles coroner not to reveal data about Celeste Rivas
The discovery of Celeste’s body It happened the day after he turned 15.. Her family reported her missing in Lake Elsinore, about 69 miles (112 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles.
Authorities did not publicly identify Burke as a suspect until his arrest.while the declaration of his lawyers, that they would vigorously defend his innocence, was the first occasion on which they spoke publicly on the matter.
D4vd was under investigation by a Los Angeles grand jury that investigated the death of Celeste Rivas Hernández.
Keep reading: Authorities would have a second suspect for the crime of Celeste Rivas in Los Angeles
The investigation was kept secret, but its existence — and its targeting — became public after Burke’s mother, father and brother objected in a Texas court to subpoenas requiring them to testify in a court in Los Angeles.
According to court documents presented by the prosecution, the Tesla Mannequin Y 2023 was registered in the singer’s name. at the Texas address of his relatives summoned to testify.
Detectives who searched the vehicle at a towed car yard in Hollywood They found a body bag which gave off a strong smell of decomposition, according to the documents. Investigators partially opened the bag and found a head and torso.
Keep reading: D4vd would be linked as a suspect to the death of a young Hispanic woman in Los Angeles
The team from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office removed the bag and discovered that the arms and legs had been amputated. Under the first bag, a second was found, which had more human remains..
The cause of death has not been publicly revealed. and the Los Angeles Police Department managed to get a judge to prevent the release of the details of Celeste Rivas’s autopsy.
It is expected that Hispanic teenager’s family issues public statement after the announcement of the charges against the singer.
Keep reading: Without clear cause, the death of a Hispanic woman found in a singer’s car in Los Angeles
The artist gained popularity among Generation Z for his fusion of indle rock, R&B and lo-fi pop.. He went viral on TikTok in 2022 with the hit “Romantic Abolish,” which peaked at number four on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Different Songs chart.
Subsequently, D4vd signed with Darkroom and Interscope Info and released his debut EP “Petals to Thorns” and a second production “The Lost Petals”, in 2023.
D4vd suspended their US tour after rumors spread about their possible involvement in Celeste’s murder, in addition to canceling the last two concerts and a tour that was scheduled for Europe.
Keep reading: More details emerge about young Hispanic woman found dead in Los Angeles
David Anthony Burke faces to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of paroleor the death penalty, if convicted of the charges.
Keep reading:
· Relationship between D4vd and the young Hispanic woman found dead in Los Angeles
· They find the lifeless body of a Hispanic woman who disappeared in 2024 in a Tesla in Los Angeles
· Young Hispanic woman reported missing in Los Angeles
