Singer d4vd Charged with Murder of Teen Celeste Rivas Hernandez

Prosecutors allege that on the night of April 23 2025, David Anthony Burke—known professionally as d4vd—stabbed 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez multiple times after she arrived at his Hollywood Hills home. The brief submitted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office states the defendant then placed the victim’s body in a blue inflatable pool to contain blood, used chainsaws and other tools to dismember the remains, and stored the limbs in a cadaver bag and a garbage bag. Both bags were later found in the trunk of Burke’s impounded Tesla, where the body was discovered in an advanced state of decomposition on September 8 2025, a day before the victim would have turned 15.

CNN

The two met in 2022 when Celeste was 11 and Burke 18. Text messages indicate a sexual relationship began in November 2023, when she was 13. The prosecution’s nine-page brief describes a volatile argument on April 22 2025, during which Celeste expressed jealousy over Burke’s relationships with other women and threatened to expose personal information that could damage his career.

CNN

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman has filed first-degree murder charges with special circumstances, including continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and mutilating human remains. Burke has pleaded not guilty and remains jailed pending a preliminary hearing scheduled to begin this week and last at least three days. Hochman has indicated the office has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty. Burke’s attorney, Blair Berk, asserts that “evidence will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death.”

New York Times

• “all we do is have sex and just hang out man I want more than that for myself.” — Celeste Rivas Hernandez (text message)

CNN

• “will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death.” — Blair Berk, lawyer for d4vd

CNN

• “There are no words to express the indescribable pain the family is experiencing right now,” — Patrick Steinfeld, lawyer for Celeste’s family

CNN

• “a physical fit match … to the blue inflatable pool” — Los Angeles police expert

CNN

The preliminary hearing, delayed multiple times, is set to commence this Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. The judge will determine whether sufficient evidence exists to move the case to trial, a step that could ultimately lead to a life-without-parole sentence or the death penalty if pursued.

New York Times