FILE-D4vd performs during the 2025 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival Weekend 2 - Day 1 on April 18, 2025 in Indio, California. (Photo by Timothy Norris/Getty Images for Coachella)
Singer D4vd pleaded not guilty Monday to a murder charge in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. In September 2025, the victim’s body was found dismembered and decomposed in the entertainer’s Tesla.
Citing the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, The Associated Press reported that the 21-year-old singer, whose real name is David Burke, was charged with first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14 and mutilating a body. His attorney entered not guilty pleas on his behalf to all counts, and the judge said he would continue to be held without bail.
During a press conference Monday, police and prosecutors described the case as a "parent’s worst nightmare" and revealed more about the alleged relationship between Burke and the teen leading up to her death.
The AP noted that the girl's parents were in court for Burke's first appearance in the case Monday.
RELATED: TMZ investigates: Why singer D4vd was arrested for Celeste Rivas Hernandez's murder
According to the AP, the murder charges against Burke included special circumstances — lying in wait, committing crime for financial gain, and murdering the witness in an investigation — that could carry the death penalty. Prosecutors haven’t announced whether they will seek it.
What happened in the D4vd case?
The backstory:
Police alleged that D4vd killed Celeste Rivas Hernandez to protect a career on the rise after she threatened to report their sexual relationship.
"Ms. Rivas was a reported runaway from Riverside County. During the course of our investigation, detectives learned she had been involved in a sexual relationship with Mr. Burke when she was a minor and he was an adult," LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said.
The Associated Press reported that the entertainer’s debut album, "Withered," was released two days after authorities said she was last known to be alive.
RELATED: D4vd arrested in connection to murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez
In 2024, Rivas Hernandez was reported missing by her family when she was 13. That was her age when, according to allegations in a criminal complaint obtained by the AP, the entertainer engaged in continuous sexual abuse of her for at least a year, from September 2023 to September 2024. California law penalizes abuse of a child under 14 especially severely.
Authorities, who described her Monday as a "runaway," said Rivas Hernandez was 14 when she was killed with a sharp object on or around April 23, 2025, and was headed to the singer’s house in the Hollywood Hills. Prosecutors said she was last known to be alive that day when she went to Burke’s home at his invitation and was not seen again until her body was discovered months later. Prosecutors allege Burke mutilated her body about two weeks later.
Authorities said the lengthy gap between her death and the discovery of her body complicated the investigation. "The extraordinary amount of time that passed between her death and the discovery meant that crucial evidence had degraded and disappeared," McDonnell said.
"In a situation where you don’t have an eyewitness account or we can’t point to a video that shows the killer killing someone, you have to go through a very rigorous and thorough investigation to look at all the digital and forensic evidence," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.
Rivas Hernandez’s body was located inside a Tesla that was towed from the Hollywood Hills on Sept. 8, 2025.
Rivas Hernandez’s family reported her missing from her hometown of Lake Elsinore, California, roughly 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
According to The Associated Press, police didn’t name David Burke as a suspect until he was arrested. In a statement from his attorneys obtained by the AP, Burke’s legal representation said they "will vigorously defend David’s innocence," which was the first time they weighed in publicly.
Burke was under investigation by an LA County grand jury looking into the girl’s death. The investigation was officially secret, and was revealed in February 2025 when his mother, father and brother objected in a Texas court to subpoenas demanding they testify.
A 2023 Tesla Model Y was registered in the entertainer’s name at the Texas address of his subpoenaed relatives, the AP noted, referencing court filings from prosecutors in the case.
The vehicle was towed from a Hollywood Hills neighborhood where it was sitting as though it was vacant. According to court documents, authorities searching the Tesla in a tow yard located a cadaver bag "covered with insects and a strong odor of decay." Police partially unzipped a bag and found a head and torso.
When Rivas Hernandez's body was found, D4vd continued his United States tour, but when reports of his alleged involvement circulated, the singer canceled the final two shows and a European tour that was scheduled to follow.
Hochman said he met with Rivas Hernandez’s family and emphasized their demand for justice.
"I had the chance to meet with some of the family members of Celeste, and their grief is incalculable," he said. "What they have demanded, what we have assured them, the District Attorney’s Office along with LAPD, is to give them proof beyond a reasonable doubt on who killed their daughter, on how their daughter was killed, and bring that killer to justice."
The Source: Information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, which cites court documents from the D4vd case, and reporting from FOX 11's Rachel Aragon. This story was reported from Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.