D4vd charged with murder in death of missing 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez

Los Angeles prosecutors have charged singer David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, with first-degree murder with special circumstances in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a filing that pushes the case toward a courtroom test over both guilt and the aggravating allegation that could make him eligible for the death penalty.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced the charges on April 20, 2026, after a grand jury investigation. Along with the murder count, prosecutors filed charges of lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14 and mutilating a body. Nathan Hochman and Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell addressed the case at a morning press conference.

Celeste Rivas Hernandez was reported missing from the Lake Elsinore area in 2024. Her remains were found on September 8, 2025, in the front trunk or storage area of an impounded Tesla registered to Burke after the vehicle was towed to a Los Angeles tow yard. Burke is 21 and has been described by authorities as a Los Angeles resident.

The special-circumstances allegation raises the stakes beyond a standard murder case. Prosecutors will have to prove not only that Burke committed first-degree murder, but that the special-circumstances facts attached to the count are true beyond a reasonable doubt. If jurors accept that allegation, the charge can make Burke eligible for the death penalty under California law.

Coverage around the case has said prosecutors alleged Burke lay in wait for Rivas Hernandez and had sex with her before killing her. Those claims remain allegations unless and until proved in court.

The case has also drawn in Burke's family. In February, court papers filed by his parents, Dawud and Colleen Burke, sought to quash grand-jury subpoenas as the sealed investigation moved forward. On the victim's side, attorney Patrick Steinfeld said the family plans to fully participate in the proceedings and wants Celeste's voice heard and her memory honored.

As the case moves into its next phase, the public record now includes the charges, the timeline of the discovery, and the legal burden prosecutors must clear to turn the special-circumstances allegation into a conviction that can withstand appeal.