The platinum-selling D4vd singer was arrested Thursday for the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, seven months after the teenager’s dismembered body was found in the trunk of his Tesla in Los Angeles.
Platinum-selling recording artist D4vd was arrested Thursday on suspicion of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, seven months after Los Angeles police discovered the teen’s dismembered and badly decomposed body in the trunk of her impounded Tesla.
Sources at the singer’s Hollywood Hills home told Rolling Stone that D4vd – real name David Anthony Burke – was “fully cooperative” during his arrest. Meanwhile, law enforcement sources say investigators obtained a warrant based on probable cause and arrested Burke shortly after 4:30 p.m. The California Post released video showing heavily armed LAPD officers leading Burke away with their hands behind their backs. He was still being entered into the police custody register when the police announced his arrest on social media.
Burke’s defense attorneys quickly released a statement saying he was not a murderer. “Let me be clear: the evidence in this case will demonstrate that David Burke did not kill Celeste Rivas Hernandez and did not cause her death,” attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “No indictments have been returned by a grand jury in this case, and no criminal complaints have been filed. David is only placed in detention as an indictment. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence. »
Burke was out of state on a national tour when his battered 2023 Tesla Model Y was impounded from the upscale Bird Streets neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills on September 5, 2025. The impound manager had warned police that the impounded vehicle “gave a foul odor and attracted flies,” according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by Rolling Stone.
Opening the trunk, investigators discovered Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s decomposing head and torso in a black body bag “covered in insects, with a strong odor of decomposition,” court documents previously obtained by Rolling Stone revealed. Investigators then opened a second bag placed underneath and found the teenager’s severed arms and legs there, according to the same documents.
“Investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division have arrested David Burke, a 21-year-old Los Angeles resident, for the murder of Celeste Rivas. Burke is being held without possibility of bail,” police said in a social media post on Thursday, April 16. “The case will be presented to the prosecutor’s office on Monday, for review with a view to possible indictment. »
The arrest comes after months of authorities maintaining strict secrecy over the investigation, going so far as to obtain a court order preventing the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office from releasing the autopsy findings. The latter had publicly opposed this sealing, believing that it prevented him from “serving the community with complete transparency”.
Witnesses have been summoned to appear before a secret grand jury in downtown Los Angeles. But it was only when Burke’s parents and brother in their native Texas contested their summons that previously sealed documents were finally made public, confirming that Burke was the “target” of a murder investigation. The documents described Burke as someone who “may be involved in the commission” of an offense described as “one count of murder.”
The prosecutor’s office released a statement Thursday evening, saying it was “informed of the arrest.” “The case is expected to be presented to the Major Crimes Division, at which time prosecutors will review the facts and evidence to determine whether there are sufficient charges to pursue charges,” said the statement sent to Rolling Stone. “At this stage, no additional information is available. We will post an update on Monday once a decision has been made. »
After the gruesome discovery last September, Celeste Rivas Hernandez was quickly identified by those close to her as a teenager missing from Lake Elsinore, a town located about 120 kilometers southeast of Los Angeles. According to wanted notices posted online, his family reported his disappearance in February 2024, then again two months later in April 2024.
His body was so “severely decomposed” that the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office could not determine the color of his eyes and recorded a weight of 70 pounds. “She appeared to have remained deceased inside the vehicle for an extended period of time before being discovered,” the office said in an online report. The cause of death was then listed as “pending determination”.
Celeste’s mother reportedly told TMZ that her daughter was dating someone named “David” before her death. Photos shared online by people who have followed Burke’s career appear to show him with a young girl strongly resembling Celeste. Another disturbing coincidence: Celeste had a tattoo on her right index finger reading “Shhh…”, according to the medical examiner. A Getty Images photo shows Burke sporting a similar tattoo.
The Rivas Hernandez family declined to speak to journalists gathered outside their home on September 17, 2025. A friend who visited described Celeste as a sweet and “studious” young girl, explaining that the teenager previously attended Lakeland Village School, where her own child also attended. “It’s so sad,” this friend, Rubi Alonso, told Rolling Stone. “She was very beautiful. »
Sources in the neighborhood where the Tesla was last found told Rolling Stone that the vehicle had been seen in different locations in the months leading up to the discovery. The sedan remained at its last address, on Bluebird Avenue, for at least three weeks; previously, she had been seen a few streets further south at the end of May, according to these same sources. “She was moving,” confides one of them. “It’s chilling. »
When the body was first discovered, a law enforcement source confirmed that the Tesla was registered to Burke to an address in Hempstead, Texas. Burke was informed of the investigation, and his spokesperson said at the time that he was “cooperating” with authorities. He continued to perform his concerts as part of his Withered tour without interruption, until the cancellation of his September 17 date in Seattle, after the formal identification of the missing teenager. At a concert in Minneapolis on September 9, Burke threw Labubu stuffed animals to the crowd.
Although Burke appeared unfazed until the victim was identified, fashion brands Crocs and Hollister pulled a campaign featuring the musician for their collaboration. “We are aware of this ongoing matter. Given the situation, we have removed the campaign content featuring D4vd while the investigation continues,” the two brands said in a joint statement to Footwear News.
Born in New York but raised in Texas, Burke has enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent years. He broke through in 2022 with the hits “Romantic Homicide” and “Here With Me”, which circulated widely on TikTok and totaled more than a billion streams on Spotify. He released his debut EP, Petals to Thorns, in May 2023.
His debut studio album, Withered, was released in April 2025 by Interscope. The album reached number 13 on the Billboard 200 and includes the single “Crashing” featuring Kali Uchis. After the identification of Celeste as the young girl found in the trunk of the Tesla, Kali Uchis clarified on Instagram that she was not “friends” with Burke and was working to have their title removed from streaming platforms while the investigation took place.
By Nancy Dillon
Translated by the editorial staff.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
