D4vd Hit with First Degree Murder Charges
The singer has been formally charged with the killing of a teen girl last year
Having been taken into custody on Thursday April 16 on suspicion of murdering Inland Empire teen Celeste Rivas Hernandez, singer D4vd – real name David Anthony Burke – has now been charged with first-degree murder.
The accusations:
According to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, Rivas Hernandez was last seen on 23 April 2025, the night she went to Burke’s house in the Hollywood Hills.
Burke is accused of murdering the 14-year-old, whose body was found last year in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to the singer.
As per the BBC, 21-year-old Burke has also been charged with murder for “financial gain” and murder of a witness to an investigation.
Hochman clarified that the “financial gain” component relates to Burke seeking to maintain his musical career “that Celeste was threatening on that particular night.”
He also announced there is evidence proving Rivas Hernandez was “a witness in an investigation of sexual acts committed by Burke.”
The charges against Burke also involve sexual acts with a minor and the dismembering of her body.
The plea:
During the arraignment on Monday, Burke’s lawyers entered a plea of not guilty.
The DA’s office could seek the death penalty.
👋 Disclosures & Transparency Block
This story was written with information from the BBC.
We covered it because it’s news in the ongoing murder case involving D4vd.
