Full Breakdown
Family Calls for Death Penalty as Singer D4vd Faces Murder Trial
9/8/2026, 4:13:24 AM
Core Event
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has charged 21-year-old singer-songwriter David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, with first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. Prosecutors allege Burke began a sexual relationship with 13-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, became pregnant, and killed her after she threatened to expose the abuse. Her dismembered remains were discovered in two cadaver bags in the front trunk (“frunk”) of Burke’s Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard. A judge ordered Burke to stand trial after a five-day preliminary hearing in July 2026. He pleaded not guilty and is represented by a public defender. The next court proceeding is a status conference on October 19.
Background & Context
- Relationship timeline – Text messages presented at the July hearing show the pair communicating from when Rivas was 12, with a sexual relationship beginning at age 13.
- Alleged motive – Prosecutors contend Burke killed Rivas to prevent her from revealing the abuse and jeopardizing his burgeoning music career.
- Evidence – Investigators displayed disturbing photos, forensic findings, and text exchanges from April 2025 that describe a heated argument and Rivas’s threat to expose Burke. Court filings state Burke ordered chainsaws and a body bag shortly after the killing.
- Discovery – The Tesla had been abandoned near Burke’s Hollywood Hills residence, towed to a Hollywood tow yard, and inspected after a strong odor was reported.
Data & Statistics
- Victim: Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 14 years old (last seen April 5, 2024 in Lake Elsinore).
- Body found: discovery date; cause of death listed as multiple penetrating injuries, indicating stabbing.
- Charges: one count of first-degree murder with special circumstances, one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, one count of unlawful mutilation of human remains.
- Legal timeline: arrest April 16, 2026; arraignment April 20, 2026; private counsel withdrew August 31, 2026; public defender appointed; trial to begin within 90 days of the October 19 status conference.
Official Statements & Responses
- Nathan Hochman, Los Angeles County District Attorney, announced a policy reversal: “Effective immediately, the prior administration’s extreme and categorical policy forbidding prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in any case is rescinded.”
- Public Defender Walid Kandeel confirmed the appointment of the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office to represent Burke.
- Blair Berk, former lead attorney for Burke, explained the court’s decision to withdraw private counsel and appoint a public defender.
Why It Matters
California retains the death penalty but has not executed a prisoner since January 2006, and Governor Gavin Newsom placed a moratorium on executions in 2019. Hochman’s policy change reopens the possibility of capital punishment in “exceedingly rare cases,” making the Rivas Hernandez case a focal point for the state’s ongoing debate over the death penalty’s future.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Exact cause of death – The medical examiner lists multiple penetrating injuries, but prosecutors emphasize a fatal chest wound that allowed air entry, whereas some reports simply note “stabbing.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “Mona Shafer Edwards / BACKGRID He said: “Effective immediately, the prior administration’s extreme and categorical policy forbidding prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in any case is rescinded.” — Nathan Hochman
- “The Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office has been appointed to represent David Burke,” — Public Defender Walid Kandeel
- “This morning, the court granted our request to withdraw as counsel and appoint the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, after it was determined David qualified for appointed counsel,” — Blair Berk
