Singer D4vd has been formally charged with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, making him eligible for the death penalty if he is convicted.
Rivas Hernandez’s remains were discovered in the front trunk of a Tesla that had been impounded at a Hollywood tow yard in September last year.
Police say the vehicle was registered to D4vd’s address in Texas. D4vd, real name David Burke, was officially named as a suspect in the killing in February, and was arrested on April 16.
On Monday, the 21-year-old singer was charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous lewd acts with an individual under 14 and mutilating human remains of a body.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office explained the special circumstances for D4vd’s first-degree murder charge – which includes ‘lying in wait, committing this crime for financial gain or murdering a witness in an investigation.’
The charges, filed in California, carry a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole and the death penalty.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman told a press conference on Monday that a determination on the death penalty will be made at a later date.
D4vd is currently being held in a Los Angeles prison with no bail.
‘Let us be clear — the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death,’ lawyers for D4vd said after his arrest.
Based on testimony from her friends and family, it is believed Rivas was in a romantic relationship with the 21-year-old singer at the time of her death.
Her family said she was last seen in spring 2024, when she left her Lake Elsinore home aged 13. They said, however, that this was not the first time she had run away.
Rivas Hernandez’s remains were discovered last September after the Tesla that allegedly belonged to D4vd was left on a public street for more than 72 hours, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
It was then impounded and taken to Hollywood Tow.
Employees at the tow yard began to notice a stench coming from the vehicle and called police on September 8 last year.
Investigators said the girl had been dismembered and found her decomposed head and torso in a cadaver bag.
She was found days after what would have been her 15th birthday, but police believe she likely died much earlier, with the county medical examiner saying the remains were ‘severely decomposed.’
Rivas’s mother, who reported her missing three different times throughout 2024, has said her daughter was dating a guy she never met named ‘David’. It’s also been reported that the two shared matching ‘Sshhh’ tattoos on their right index fingers.
Friends of D4vd told TMZ that the two were ‘frequently’ seen together.
The grand jury investigation into D4vd began in mid-November. Jurors were presented evidence by prosecutors and relevant individuals were called to testify, including D4vd’s managers and friend, Neo Langston.
And in September, police obtained a search warrant for a $4.1million home Burke had been staying at in the Hollywood Hills, where they seized a computer, according to ABC News.
Police have not disclosed details about what they may have found on the computer.
The residence’s owner, Mladen Trifunovic, hired private investigator Steve Fischer after the search to look into whether the teen girl had ever stayed at the home.
Fischer said that a ‘burn cage’ with enough power to turn a dead person’s body to ashes had been found at the ritzy Los Angeles spot once occupied by Burke.
‘Given that Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s remains were ultimately found in the Tesla [trunk], the presence of an incinerator at the same residence associated with that vehicle necessarily raises questions about intent,’ he said on X.
After Rivas’s death, the lyrics of D4vd’s songs were the subject of much scrutiny due to their violent nature.
In one of his most popular singles, ‘Romantic Homicide’, he sings about a love interest of his no longer being around.
‘In the back of my mind, I killed you… And I didn’t even regret it… I can’t believe I said it… But it’s true… I hate you,’ were the final words of the 2022 song.
D4vd rose to fame that same year after a string of viral TikTok hits.
His popularity led to collaborations with stars such as SZA and Kali Uchis. When Hernandez’s body was discovered, D4vd was on a tour, which was later canceled.
