Singer D4vd Charged with Murder of Teen Celeste Rivas Hernandez

Los Angeles prosecutors have filed first‑degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child and unlawful mutilation of human remains charges against singer David Anthony Burke, known as D4vd. The victim, 14‑year‑old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, was found dismembered in the trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke; investigators say she was stabbed twice in the upper body. DNA testing linked her DNA to blood‑type stains on a garage floor mat, a rowing machine and a Tesla charger, while prosecutors also presented chainsaws and other tools allegedly purchased after the killing.

During a preliminary hearing in July 2026, prosecutors displayed text messages and photographs recovered from Burke’s phone that show a sexual relationship beginning when the girl was 13, a pregnancy and an abortion, and threats by the teen to expose the affair. The defense challenged the forensic work, questioning why additional DNA testing was not performed on the chainsaws and other items, and arguing that the DNA could be from touch rather than blood. Autopsy testimony by Dr. Grant Ho confirmed two sharp‑force wounds but noted the body’s severe decomposition limited precise timing. The judge will decide whether probable cause exists to send the case to trial.