Seven months after the decomposing body of a 14 year old girl was found in the trunk of his car, the singer d4vd pleaded not guilty this Monday (20) to the charge of first-degree murder — which can lead to the death penalty or life imprisonment.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s remains were found in an apparently abandoned Tesla from d4vd in September after the car was towed to a police yard. The macabre discovery kicked off a months-long investigation and placed the 21-year-old singer under intense scrutiny, culminating in .
But it was only on Monday that prosecutors announced charges against d4vd.
Details about the case the prosecution intends to bring against the musician remain unclear. His lawyers say the evidence will show he is innocent.
Prosecutors say singer sexually abused teenager for months
D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, was charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and mutilation of human remains. Prosecutors say he had a sexual relationship with the young woman and killed her after she threatened to expose him.
The artist made his first court appearance just hours after being charged, wearing a black hoodie and light gray sweatpants. He did not speak, and his lawyers entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
He engaged in “continuous sexual abuse” of Celeste from September 2023 until September 2024, prosecutors allege in a criminal complaint filed Monday.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Burke killed Celeste “when she threatened to expose his criminal conduct and devastate his music career.”
The cause of Celeste’s death has not been released, but prosecutors accuse Burke of using “deadly and dangerous weapon(s),” specifically a “sharp instrument.”
After the “horrible and cruel murder,” Hochman said in a news release, Burke dismembered Celeste’s body and placed her remains in two bags in the front trunk of his car.
Victim was last seen alive in April
Celeste had gone to the singer’s Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, Hochman said. “She was never seen again,” he said.
In a statement Monday night, Blair Berk — one of d4vd’s attorneys — wrote, “The actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and was not the cause of her death. We will vigorously defend his innocence.”
Berk is part of a high-profile law firm that has represented Harvey Weinstein, Kanye West and Britney Spears, among other famous clients. She requested a preliminary hearing at the earliest possible date. The singer’s lawyers also said they received “almost no discovery” (shared evidence) related to the case.
The murder charge d4vd faces includes three special circumstances: stakeout, committing murder for financial gain, and murdering a “witness to a crime.”
The “financial gain” circumstance is due to the fact that “Mr. Burke wanted to maintain his lucrative music career, which Celeste was threatening that night,” Hochman said. Additionally, she was a witness to “lewd sexual acts committed by Mr. Burke,” the prosecutor said.
The long period between the teen’s death and the discovery of her body presented a challenge for investigators, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell.
Celeste was reported missing three times
The accusations come almost two years after the third — and final — time Celeste was reported missing by her family, ending a series of urgent appeals in early 2024. She was 13 at the time.
In September 2025, the day after what would have been his 15th birthday, his dismembered and decomposed body was discovered in the trunk of a Tesla registered to d4vd, while he was in Minneapolis on a world tour promoting his debut album, “Withered.”
Authorities arrested the singer on April 16 on suspicion of killing Celeste. He is being held without bail.
Connection between the victim and d4vd
Clues indicating a connection between the two emerged even before she was reported missing. In January 2024, the two appeared together on a Twitch live stream, joking and chatting until the early hours before d4vd, laughing, said, “Delete everything.”
In June 2024, Celeste was photographed backstage at the singer’s sold-out show at The Fonda Theater in Los Angeles. A private investigator later discovered additional images that appear to show the two together in late December 2024 and early January 2025.
