Singer D4vd charged in the killing of 14-year old Celeste Rivas Hernandez

On Monday, singer David Anthony Burke, aka D4vd was charged with capital murder for allegedly killing a teenage Latina.

The 21-year-old singer appeared in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom and one of his attorneys entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

Burke is charged in the killing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered and decomposing body was found Sept. 8, 2025 in the trunk of his Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard.

The District Attorney's Office is expected to decide later whether to seek the death penalty against Burke, who was ordered to remain jailed without bail while awaiting his next court appearance Thursday.

“Celeste [Hernandez] was just a child, under 14 years old, when Burke allegedly engaged in repeated lewd and lascivious sexual relations with her,'' District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “But Burke's actions did not allegedly stop there. When she threatened to expose his criminal conduct and devastate his musical career, Burke allegedly murdered her, cut up her body and stuffed her body in two bags that were placed in the front trunk of his car.” 

The Tesla in which her body was found had been abandoned near a home in the 1300 block of Doheny Place, not far from a home Burke had rented. 

During the investigation, police served a search warrant at the house and took several items as possible evidence.

The criminal complaint alleges that the murder occurred on or about April 23, 2025.

The murder charge includes the special circumstance allegations of lying in wait, murder for financial gain and killing a witness in a criminal investigation, according to Hochman.

Burke was also charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child under age 14 between Sept. 7, 2023, and Sept. 7, 2024, along with unlawful mutilation of human remain on or about May 5, 2025, as well as an allegation that he personally used a sharp instrument during the commission of the murder, according to the complaint.

Hernandez, of Lake Elsinore, had been reported missing by her mother in 2024, when the girl was just 13. Her mother previously told reporters her daughter had a boyfriend named David. Burke has a tattoo on one of his fingers matching the one reading ``Shhh'' that the medical examiner revealed previously was on Hernandez' index finger.

The last time Celeste was seen

At a morning news conference, Hochman said the lying-in-waiting allegation stems from Burke's invitation to Hernandez to come to his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, after which she was never seen again.

He said the financial gain allegation stems from the singer's effort to maintain his lucrative music career, which was being threatened by his alleged sexual relationship with the underage girl, Hochman said. Hernandez was considered the key witness in that investigation, leading to the allegation of murdering a witness.

Burke was arrested last Thursday afternoon by Los Angeles Police Department officers, ending a months-long investigation. 

Burke's team of defense lawyers issued a statement last week denying the singer killed Hernandez.

“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,” defense attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter said. “There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed. David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David's innocence.”

 Berk told Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Theresa R. McGonigle that the defense wants a speedy preliminary hearing, at which a judge would determine if there was sufficient

evidence to allow the case against him to proceed to trial.

She noted that there have been media reports about months of “secret grand jury proceedings,'' but said the defense has been given very little information about the case.

At the prosecution's request, the judge agreed to order the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office to release the autopsy report involving the teenager.

Defending D4vd

An attorney for Burke's parents said in a statement to ABC News, “David's parents believe in his innocence and support him whole-heartedly.''

In January, Neo Langston, a 23-year-old social media personality and friend of Burke, was arrested in Montana, allegedly for failing to appear as a witness in Los Angeles.

In February, Burke's parents, Dawud and Colleen Burke, filed court papers seeking quash subpoenas they had received to appear before the grand jury. 

Their court papers revealed grisly details about the condition of the teen's body when it was found, stating that her head and torso were inside a cadaver bag, and her limbs were inside a separate bag – both of which were found in the trunk of the Tesla.

The medical examiner's office has not announced a cause of death for the teen, but the office had been prevented since November from releasing any information about its investigation, due to a court order that had been obtained by police that placed a “security hold” on the probe. 

Police said the security hold was necessary to ensure the integrity of the investigation.