D4vd stabbed teen to death to silence her: prosecutors
Prosecutors say US singer D4vd stabbed 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez multiple times to death.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office shared what it said the evidence would show in a document filed Wednesday that included the first detailed allegations of efforts to dismember Rivas Hernandez’s body and dispose of evidence.
The court filing stated that D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, met Rivas Hernandez when she was 11, had sexual intercourse with her when she was 13 and he was 18, and killed her when she threatened to expose their inappropriate relationship.
“Knowing that he had to silence the victim before he could destroy her music career as he had threatened, the defendant stabbed the victim multiple times to death immediately after arriving at his home and stood by as the victim bled to death.”
His body was found decomposed inside a Tesla towed from the Hollywood Hills in September last year.
Prosecutors obtained text messages between the two from April 22, 2025, the night before all phone activity ceased and when they believed she was killed.
“The messages reveal the victim’s jealousy about the defendant’s relationships with other women, as the defendant led her to believe they had a future together. She became extremely upset and threatened to reveal damaging information about her relationship with the defendant in order to end his career and ruin his life,” the document states.
The document states that Burke bought two chainsaws online and dismembered his body in an inflatable pool.
“The defendant took horrific measures to destroy and dispose of the victim’s body,” prosecutors wrote in the summary. he said.
When the body was found, two fingers were missing. They said he had Rivas Hernandez’s name tattooed on them.
Prosecutors have not previously said how they believe Rivas Hernandez was killed or provided details about his relationships. The autopsy report stated that he died due to puncture wounds.
Burke pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges. His lawyers said he was innocent and did not cause Rivas Hernandez’s death.
Defense attorneys asked Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo to seal the document at Wednesday’s hearing, but she refused. They had no comment outside the court.
D4vd rose to fame on TikTok with their viral hits Romantic Homicide and Here With Me.
Another hearing of the case will be held on May 15.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Resolution Support Service 1800 211 028
