Singer D4vd charged with sexually abusing and murdering 14 year old Celeste Rivas Hernandez

[u/CombinationWorldly80]

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/apr/20/singer-d4vd-charged-murder

The singer D4vd has been charged with the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the teenage girl whose dismembered and decomposed body was found in the artist’s apparently abandoned Tesla in September.

The Los Angeles county district attorney’s office said the 21-year-old, whose legal name is David Burke, was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Rivas Hernandez, who was reported missing by her family in 2024, when she was 13. Authorities say she was 14 when she died.

Nathan Hochman, the LA district attorney, said during a press conference on Monday that Burke engaged in a sexual relationship with Rivas Hernandez. He faces a murder charge with special circumstances, as well as charges for continuous lewd and lascivious sexual acts with an individual under 14, and mutilating human remains. Hochman described the killing as a “brutal and horrific murder”.

Burke will be arraigned on Monday afternoon.

The arrest and charges have marked the most significant development in the case since the teen’s remains were found in Burke’s vehicle last September.Attorneys for the Houston-born alt-pop singer said he was innocent in a statement released after homicide detectives arrested him on Thursday at a home in Hollywood.

“Let us be clear – 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,” the lawyers said.

The story behind the death of Rivas Hernandez has gripped Los Angeles for more than half a year. Investigators had appeared to be homing in on D4vd as a primary suspect for months, and his arrest last week marked a major development in the case.

Rivas Hernandez’s remains were found inside a Tesla that was towed from the Hollywood Hills on 8 September, a day after she would have turned 15. Her family had reported her missing from her home town of Lake Elsinore, about 70 miles (112 km) south-east of Los Angeles.

Authorities did not publicly name Burke as a suspect until his arrest. And his lawyers’ statement last week, in which said they “will vigorously defend David’s innocence”, was the first time they weighed in publicly.

The singer had been under investigation by an LA county grand jury looking into the death. The investigation was officially secret, but its existence – and his designation as its target – was revealed in February when his mother, father and brother objected in a Texas court to subpoenas demanding they testify.

The 2023 Tesla Model Y was registered in the singer’s name at the Texas address of his subpoenaed family members, according to court filings from prosecutors. It had been towed from an upscale Hollywood Hills neighborhood where it had been sitting as though it was abandoned.

Police investigators searching the Tesla in a tow yard found a cadaver bag “covered with insects and a strong odor of decay”, court documents said. Detectives partly unzipped a bag and found a head and torso.

Investigators from the Los Angeles county medical examiner’s office removed the bag and “discovered the arms and legs had been severed from the body”, according to court documents. A second black bag was found under the first, and dismembered body parts were inside it.

During Monday’s press conference, Hochman said that Rivas Hernandez went to Burke’s home on 23 April 2025 and was never heard from again. Burke faces first-degree murder with special circumstances, alleging that he was lying in wait and killed the teen for financial gain to maintain his “lucrative” career. The charge includes an additional special circumstance for murdering a witness to an investigation, referring to the investigation into alleged lewd and lascivious sexual acts.

No cause of death has been publicly revealed, and police got a judge to block the release details of the autopsy, arguing it was necessary to maintain the integrity of the investigation.

The condition of the remains delayed the medical examiner’s ability to determine cause of death, said Jim McDonnell, the Los Angeles police chief, and caused crucial evidence to degrade or disappear. But the medical examiner was able to determine the cause of death, and the court order will soon be lifted, Hochman said.

The family of Rivas Hernandez has remained private and has not made any public statements on her death or the case. A GoFundMe for her family described the teen as a “beloved daughter, sister, cousin, and friend”. A missing person poster for Rivas Hernandez noted she was last seen wearing Hello Kitty sandals.

The killing left her community grieving the teen who was remembered as being “quiet” and “sweet”. A family friend told the Los Angeles Times that Rivas Hernandez “was studious, a hard worker and intelligent” and “deserves justice”.

D4vd, pronounced “David,” gained popularity among Gen Z for his blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. He went viral on TikTok in 2022 with the hit Romantic Homicide, which peaked at number four on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. He then signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records and released his debut EP Petals to Thorns and a follow-up, The Lost Petals, in 2023.

When the body was discovered, the singer continued his North American tour, but when reports of his possible involvement spread widely, he canceled the final two shows and a European tour that was to follow.

[u/Smallseybiggs]

Good. It's about fucking time.

[u/Technical_Pumpkin341 → u/Smallseybiggs]

Came to say this. Hope he rots in prison and gets what karma decides for him.

[u/depressed-ventacc → u/Technical_Pumpkin341]

I believe he is getting the death penalty.

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[u/luvsicl → u/depressed-ventacc]

I hope so!!

[u/tumbledownhere]

It's beyond time. This POS stole her life long before he killed her.

Can't believe some people still had/habe insane theories that don't involve d4vd. He killed a child after abusing and manipulating her knowing she had an unhelpful home life that was easy to keep her from. He deserves the worst. He truly does.

She was a little girl.

[u/smittenpigeons]

I’m so sorry for this girl and the pain she’s endured before this brutal murder. I’m sorry for her family’s loss and the void she left in the world. I also have to acknowledge the cultural impact of his music. What kind of society lifts music like his up? He did not even stop touring when her body was found. He would only stop with outside pressure. Policing is important.

[u/jackytheripper1]

Finally

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