D4vd held without bail in murder of teen whose body was found in Tesla

Singer David Burke, known as D4vd, was arrested Thursday in the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose body was found in the trunk of an abandoned Tesla in Los Angeles in September 2025.

“Los Angeles Police Department Robbery-Homicide Division detectives arrested 21-year-old Los Angeles resident David Burke for the murder of Celeste Rivas,” the LAPD said in a social media post. he said. “Burke is being held without bail.”

In another post, police said, “The case will be presented to the District Attorney’s Office on Monday for consideration.”

Until Thursday, authorities had not publicly named D4vd as a suspect in the case; but in February he became the target of a Los Angeles County grand jury investigation into Hernandez’s death.

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The Associated Press reported in February that Hernandez’s body was found decomposed in an abandoned Tesla registered to D4vd and towed from the Hollywood Hills, citing court documents.

Prosecutors named the Houston-born alt-pop singer as a target of the investigation in grand jury subpoenas issued Jan. 15 and sought the testimony of three of her relatives.

The Associated Press obtained once-sealed documents that were made public after the singer’s mother, father and brother challenged the subpoenas in Texas.

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Photos, special notes and flowers are among the items left at a memorial service Thursday for slain teenager Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who was found dead in the trunk of a Tesla at a Hollywood tow truck in Lake Elsinore, California, on Sept. 25, 2025. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

“Target may have committed the following criminal offenses, contrary to the laws of the State of California: One Homicide,” the documents state.

Hernandez’s body was found on September 8, one day after she would have turned 15. She was reported missing in 2024 as a 13-year-old seventh grader in her hometown of Lake Elsinore, about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Authorities say he was 14 when he was killed, according to court documents.

Investigators searching a 2023 Tesla Model Y in a tow truck found a cadaver bag that was “covered with insects and had a strong odor of decomposition,” the subpoena states.

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Singer D4vd has been arrested in Los Angeles in connection with the murder of a 14-year-old girl found in the trunk of a Tesla, police said. (Photo: Timothy Norris/Getty Images for Coachella)

“Detectives partially unzipped the bag and observed a dismembered head and torso,” the subpoena states. Investigators from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the scene.

“When the cadaver bag was removed from the forward storage compartment, it was discovered that the arms and legs had been severed from the body,” the document states. “A second black bag was found under the cadaver bag. When the second bag was opened, dismembered body parts were revealed.”

The singer was on a US tour at the time and continued performing after the body was found. He later canceled the remaining shows, along with a planned European tour, after reports linking him to the case gained more attention.

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D4vd has built a following among Gen Z fans by blending indie rock, R&B, and lo-fi pop. In 2022, he became the center of attention on TikTok with “Romantic Homicide”, which reached No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. She later signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records and released Petals to Thorns and The Lost Petals in 2023.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.