Police arrested 21-year-old singer D4vd, whose real name is David Burke, on Thursday in connection with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose decomposing body was found in the trunk of his Tesla last September.
The arrest came after months of investigation following the discovery of Rivas’ body in the vehicle, which had been sitting in a Los Angeles impound lot for weeks after being impounded. Authorities said the car had been parked at the location for several weeks and Rivas may have been deceased for some time before her body was found.
Rivas, a first-generation daughter of immigrant parents from El Salvador, had been reported missing by her family in April 2024 when she was 13. She lived about 75 miles from where her body was discovered and was known to neighbours as a girl who would visit the corner store almost daily to buy candy and soda, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Police Department officials announced the arrest in a brief statement, stating that Burke was being held without bail and the case would be presented to the district attorney’s office on Monday. His attorneys, Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Reinga Peters, issued a statement Thursday night maintaining their client’s innocence and asserting that the evidence would show he did not cause Rivas’ death.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has yet to determine the cause or manner of Rivas’ death, leaving open questions about whether any criminal culpability exists beyond the concealment of her body. This uncertainty echoes a similar case in 2022 when the remains of another missing teenager were found in a vehicle trunk, but prosecutors ultimately declined to file charges due to insufficient evidence of homicide.
What charges is D4vd facing?
He is being held on suspicion of murder, but no formal charges have been filed yet as the case awaits presentation to the district attorney’s office.
Why was there a delay between the discovery of the body and the arrest?
Investigators needed time to confirm the victim’s identity, analyze evidence from the vehicle, and build a case before presenting it to prosecutors, which is standard procedure in complex death investigations.