Prosecutors say singer d4vd sexually abused a teen for months before killing her. What we know about the case against him
Seven months after a 14-year-old girl’s decomposed body was found in the trunk of her car, singer d4vd He pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of first-degree murder, which carries a possible penalty of death or life in prison.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s remains found on d4vds apparently abandoned Tesla in September after the car was towed to a location where police impounded it. The gruesome discovery sparked a months-long investigation and led to intense scrutiny of the 21-year-old singer, culminating in his arrest last week.
But it wasn’t until Monday that prosecutors announced the charges against d4vd.
Details of the case prosecutors plan to file against the musician remain unclear. His lawyers say the evidence will show he is innocent.
Singer sexually assaulted teenagers for months, prosecutors say
D4vd, His legal name is David Anthony Burke, and he was charged with first-degree murder under special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and dismembering human corpses. Prosecutors allege the man had sexual intercourse with the young girl and killed her after she threatened to expose it.
D4vd appeared in court for the first time a few hours after he was charged, wearing a black sweatshirt and light gray sweatpants. He did not speak and his lawyers joined the defense on his behalf.
In a criminal complaint filed Monday, prosecutors alleged that the musician “continuously sexually harassed” Celeste from September 2023 to September 2024.
Musician David Anthony Burke, known professionally as d4vd, is seen in this booking photo released on Monday. – Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office/Reuters
L.A. District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Burke killed Celeste “when she threatened to expose his criminal behavior and destroy his music career.”
The cause of Celeste’s death has not been disclosed, but prosecutors accuse Burke of using a “deadly and dangerous weapon(s),” meaning a “sharp instrument.”
After the “horrible and grisly murder,” Hochman said in a press release that Burke dismembered Celeste’s body and placed her remains in two bags in the front trunk of his car.
The victim was last known alive in April
Celeste went to the singer’s home in the Hollywood Hills on April 23, 2025, Hochman said. “He was never heard from again,” he said.
Blair Berk, one of d4vd’s attorneys, said in a statement Monday evening, “The actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not kill Celeste Rivas Hernandez and that there was no cause for her death. We will strongly defend David’s innocence.”
Berk is part of a powerful law firm that represents Harvey Weinstein, Kanye West and Britney Spears, among other celebrity clients.
He requested a preliminary hearing at the earliest possible date.
The singer’s lawyers also said that they “could find almost no findings” regarding the case.
The murder charge d4vd faces includes three specific circumstances: lying in wait, murder for financial gain, and killing a “witness to a crime.”
The “financial gain” condition was “for Mr. Burke to pursue the very lucrative music career that Celeste threatened that night,” Hochman said.
Additionally, Hochman said Celeste witnessed “lewd and lascivious sexual acts performed by Mr. Burke.”
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman speaks at Monday’s press conference. -Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images
According to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell, the time between the teen’s death and the discovery of his body was a challenging time for investigators.
“The significant amount of time that passed between his death and discovery meant that key evidence was diminished or disappeared, and as detectives worked to uncover the truth, they also had to sift through and debunk much of the misinformation circulating publicly,” McDonnell said.
A makeshift memorial filled with flowers, candles and stuffed toys honoring 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was spotted near Jamieson Street in Lake Elsinore, California, on Friday. – Arafat Barbakh/Reuters
Celeste’s family has largely stayed out of the public eye since her body was discovered. His mother, father and sister attended Monday’s hearing and showed little apparent reaction to the proceedings.
The family’s lawyer said in a statement that they wanted privacy because they were saddened by the loss of their daughter.
“The Rivas Hernandez family is committed to ensuring that Celeste’s voice is heard and her memory is honored throughout this process,” said the family’s attorney, Patrick Steinfeld.
Court documents released in February show a grand jury is investigating the singer in connection with Celeste’s death.
Victim reported missing three times
The charges come almost two years after Celeste was reported missing by her family for the third and final time; That capped a series of urgent pleas in early 2024 as loved ones and friends became increasingly alarmed about the seventh-grader’s safety and whereabouts.
He was 13 years old at the time; He was a young man remembered in photographs with his soft smile and thick, curly hair.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez poses in an undated photo provided by the attorney representing the teen’s family. -Rivas Hernandez family
In September 2025, one day after his 15th birthday, his mutilated and mutilated body was found in the trunk of a Tesla registered to d4vd while he was on a world tour in Minneapolis to promote his debut album, “Withered.”
Authorities have not established a clear timeline for when Celeste was killed, but court records show she was 14 at the time of her death. Photos obtained by CNN show he is alive almost a year after he was first reported missing.
Neighbors say the car appeared to be abandoned, parked on a street not far from the Hollywood Hills home where d4vd lived. The vehicle was later towed and a yard employee notified police after noticing a strong, foul odor coming from the vehicle.
Authorities arrested the singer On April 16, he was taken into custody on suspicion of killing Celeste at a home in the Hollywood Hills, just a mile from the tow truck where the girl’s body was found in her car.
He is being held in jail without bail.
Photos released by the Los Angeles Police Department show the operation that led to the arrest of singer d4vd in the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez on Thursday. -LAPD
Clues point to connection between Celeste and d4vd
Hints that point to a connection The relationship between Celeste and d4vd was revealed before she was reported missing. In January 2024, the two appeared together in a livestream on Twitch, joking and talking until the early hours of the morning before d4vd, laughing and saying: “Delete everything.”
Between January and March 2024, the singer was photographed getting out of a black Tesla just a few blocks from Celeste’s home. A local teenager later posted the footage on TikTok. CNN identified geolocation and chronology to verify when and where the photos were taken.
In June 2024, Celeste was photographed backstage at a sold-out d4vd show at The Fonda Theater in Los Angeles. A private investigator later uncovered additional footage showing the two together in late December 2024 and early January 2025.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Norma Galeana, Elizabeth Wolfe, Thomas Bordeaux, Allison Gordon, Kyung Lah and Matt Friedman contributed to this report.
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