David Burke, the 21-year-old alt-pop singer known as D4vd, was charged Monday with first-degree murder in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered body was found in the trunk of his Tesla seven months after she was last seen heading to his Hollywood Hills home.
Prosecutors allege Burke engaged in continuous sexual abuse of Hernandez from September 2023 to September 2024, then killed her on or around April 23, 2025 — the date she was last known to be alive — using a sharp object before mutilating her remains approximately two weeks later. The body was discovered inside the vehicle on September 8, 2025, a day after Hernandez would have turned 15.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed the murder charge with special circumstances, including lying in wait, committing the crime for financial gain, and murdering a witness in an investigation — allegations that, if proven, could expose Burke to the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole. District Attorney Nathan Hochman described the alleged motive as Burke seeking to protect his “particularly lucrative musical career” from a threat posed by the teenager.
Burke’s attorneys issued a statement after his arrest Thursday at a Hollywood residence, asserting his innocence and declaring that “the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death.” A follow-up request for comment from his legal team was not immediately answered.
Authorities had not publicly identified Burke as a suspect prior to his arrest, despite the existence of a secret grand jury investigation that had targeted him since at least February, when his family objected in a Texas court to subpoenas seeking their testimony. The probe remained confidential until the charges were unveiled.
Hernandez was reported missing by her family in Lake Elsinore in 2024, when she was 13. Investigators initially classified her as a runaway, a designation that delayed broader public alerts and complicated early efforts to locate her. Her family is expected to make their first public statement through counsel outside the courthouse following the district attorney’s press conference.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell stood beside Hochman at the Monday briefing, acknowledging that the department had faced criticism for its handling of the seven-month investigation, particularly for withholding details. “My duty is not to fuel speculation, it’s to deliver justice,” McDonnell said, emphasizing that the probe was guided solely by the pursuit of accountability for Hernandez and her loved ones.
The case has drawn attention not only for its brutality but for the collision of a rising music career with allegations of prolonged exploitation, and violence. Burke, born in Houston and known for blending alternative pop with emotive lyricism, had cultivated a growing following before his arrest. Now, his legal fate hinges on whether prosecutors can substantiate claims that he silenced a victim who threatened to expose him — and whether a jury will locate that motive sufficient to warrant society’s most severe penalties.
What evidence supports the claim that Burke killed Hernandez for financial gain?
Prosecutors allege that Burke killed Hernandez to prevent her from threatening his “very lucrative musical career,” citing this as a special circumstance of financial gain in the murder charge. This assertion comes directly from District Attorney Nathan Hochman’s statements at the press conference, though no specific documentation of the alleged threat or financial records were detailed in the sources.
Why was Burke not named a suspect earlier in the investigation?
Authorities did not publicly identify Burke as a suspect until his arrest, despite the grand jury investigation having targeted him since at least February. The probe was officially secret, and its existence — along with Burke’s status as a target — only became known when his family objected to subpoenas in a Texas court. Police and prosecutors have stated they withheld information to avoid jeopardizing the case.