LOS ANGELES — Singer D4vd has officially been charged with the murder of a 14-year-old girl whose remains were found in the front trunk of his seemingly abandoned Tesla last year.
Update: D4vd pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges in the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, The Associated Press reported.
The singer, was charged with first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14 and mutilating a body, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The murder charge includes special circumstances such as lying in wait, committing a crime for financial gain, and murdering a witness in an investigation, which opens the door for the death penalty, but prosecutors have not yet said if they will pursue it.
He was ordered held without bail at his first court appearance.
Officials accused D4vd of killing Rivaras Hernandez to protect his growing career after she threatened to report their sexual relationship. She was reported missing by her family when she was 13. She was killed with a sharp object on or around April 23, 2025, when she was at the singer’s home in the Hollywood Hills. She was 14 at the time.
Prosecutors alleged D4vd mutilated her body about two weeks after her death, the AP reported.
His defense said in court that their client is innocent.
“We believe the actual evidence will show David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez,” lead defense attorney Blair Berk said, according to the AP. “We would like to have the evidence come into the light of day.”
Original report: District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the singer will face charges of first-degree murder, Variety reported.
D4vd, whose real name is David Burke, was arrested on April 16 and held without bond.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s decomposed body was found seven months ago in the trunk of a Tesla that he owned. The car had been parked in the Hollywood Hills and towed on Sept. 5 after a report of abandonment, The New York Times reported. Three days later, on Sept. 8, the day after her 15th birthday, her body was found after reports of an odor at the impound.
She was reported missing as a 13-year-old seventh grader in 2024 from Lake Elsinore, The Associated Press reported.
The 2023 Model Y was registered in D4vd’s name at an address in Texas where his family members lived. Investigators searched the vehicle as it sat in a tow yard. They found Rivas Hernandez’s remains in a cadaver bag “covered with insects and a strong odor of decay.”
“Detectives partially unzipped the bag and observed a decomposed head and torso,” according to court documents.
When they removed the bag from the car, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office found her arms and legs had been cut from her body. A second bag was found in the vehicle containing the body parts.
Hochman said D4vd sexually abused and mutilated her body, with her death committed for financial gain so the singer could “maintain his very lucrative music career,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
D4vd’s attorneys said last week, after his arrest, that their client is innocent.
“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,” the lawyers said, according to the AP.
D4vd gained fame after his music went viral on TikTok, where he has 3.8 million followers. He eventually signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records, KNBC reported.
He released his first album, “Withered,” in April 2025.
If convicted of the charges he faces, he could get life in prison or the death penalty, the Times reported.
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