Singer D4vd accused of ‘mutilating girl, 14, with chainsaw’ in murder trial | US | News
Chilling new details have emerged about the deeply disturbing way singer D4vd allegedly maimed a 14-year-old girl using a chainsaw.
The artist, whose real name is David Burke, is on trial for the murder of Celeste Rivas.
Prosecutors allege he arranged for an Uber to transport Rivas from the family home in Lake Elsinore to his home in the Hollywood Hills on the night of April 23, 2025.
Prosecutors also allege he then stabbed her to death and watched her bleed to death.
Burke allegedly ordered a shovel from Home Depot the next day through Postmates, according to court documents. Mirror.
About a week later, he ordered two chainsaws from Amazon, and on May 5 he allegedly purchased a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags and a blue inflatable pool.
The documents allege that Burke made these purchases under the false name of Victoria Mendez.
From there, “he took horrific measures to dispose of and dispose of the victim’s body,” investigators told the court.
The man allegedly placed Rivas’ body in a blue inflatable pool to prevent Rivas’ blood from contaminating the garage floor before amputating his limbs with a chainsaw, according to documents.
Investigators noted that plastic fragments embedded in Rivas’ remains matched those in the pool Burke purchased from Amazon.
The singer also allegedly removed Rivas’ left ring and little fingers because she had a tattoo of her name on her ring finger, according to the documents. These fingers were not found.
In September 2025, police discovered “evidence consistent with dismemberment of the victim’s body in an inflatable pool containing multiple linear cuts. Several biological samples that tested positive for blood were collected in the garage area” and subsequently executed a search warrant at Burke’s home.
Investigators uncovered DNA matching Rivas.
Court documents allege that Burke and Rivas engaged in a “long argument” via text message the evening before the alleged murder, stemming from Burke’s jealousy over his relationships with other women.
“She was extremely upset and threatened to reveal damning information about her relationship with the defendant in order to end his career and ruin his life,” investigators said.
The documents also include details about how Burke and Rivas allegedly met in 2022, when they were just 11 years old.
Investigators allege the two began sexual intercourse in November 2023, when she was 13 and Burke was 18.
Rivas was reported missing by her family in February 2024, long before the alleged murder.
At that point, detectives found a phone number on Burke’s phone, according to documents.
Burke claimed that when detectives first contacted her, she had no idea that she was a minor or that she had been reported missing.
Documents state that Rivas’ family confiscated Rivas’ phone after he was located, but Burke continued to follow him despite being reportedly underage.
Burke allegedly traveled to Rivas’ hometown of Lake Elsinore and paid a fellow student $1,000 to give Rivas the phone Burke had purchased so the two could continue to communicate.
Text messages seized by detectives suggest the pair continued having sexual intercourse.
Burke appeared in court on Wednesday, April 29, where his attorney expressed concerns about the alleged evidence being made public.
This comes after allegations emerged last week that a “significant” amount of child pornography was discovered during a search of Burke’s iPhone.
Investigators say they collected 40 terabytes of data throughout an extensive investigation.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office confirmed that the 14-year-old died from “multiple penetrating injuries.”
Rivas’ dismembered body was found in the trunk of a Tesla owned by Burke on September 8, 2025.
The cause of death was not officially determined until December 8, 2025.
Burke was charged with first-degree murder due to special circumstances. These specific circumstances included lying in wait, the murder of an investigation witness, and murder for financial gain.
He was also charged with lewd and lascivious sexual acts with a person under the age of 14, as well as destruction of human remains.
The specific case of the murder of a witness in an investigation relates to Rivas being a witness in the immoral and lascivious investigation.
The financial gain element was related to Burke’s belief that allegations of sexual activity with a minor had the potential to ruin his music career, authorities said.
Burke is currently detained in the infamous Twin Towers prison in the heart of Los Angeles.
