Prosecutors say D4vd bought chainsaw after allegedly killing teen

Prosecutors say David Anthony Burke, the 21-year-old singer known as D4vd, bought chainsaws online after allegedly killing 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a detail they say fits a wider case built on digital purchases, phone records and post-crime conduct. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has said the matter includes first-degree murder with special circumstances and could be eligible for the death penalty, although prosecutors have not said whether they will seek it.

The alleged special circumstances include lying in wait, murder for financial gain and killing a witness in a criminal investigation. Hochman and Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell described the killing as “brutal and horrific.” Prosecutors say Celeste’s remains were found on Sept. 8, 2025, in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke after the car was abandoned in Hollywood Hills near the rental property where he had been living. They say Celeste visited Burke’s Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, and was never heard from again.

Court filings and timeline accounts have pushed the case further back. Prosecutors allege Burke and Celeste first met in January 2022, when she was 11, and began a sexual relationship in November 2023, when she was 13 and he was 18. They also allege Burke paid a junior high classmate $1,000 for a cellphone so he and Celeste could keep communicating after her family took her phone away. The pair allegedly traveled together in 2024, including weekends in Hollywood Hills and trips to Las Vegas, London and Texas.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner listed the cause of death as multiple penetrating injuries caused by an object or objects, indicating a stabbing, and ruled the death a homicide. Prosecutors have also said Burke’s devices contained a significant amount of child sexual abuse material. NBC Los Angeles reported the prosecution has more than 40 terabytes of discovery to hand over, including about three terabytes stored in iCloud, and that only about 30% had been turned over to the defense at one point. Three investigative grand juries were convened in November, December and February.

Celeste’s family thanked investigators and the community and said, “All we want is justice for Celeste.” Her parents, Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, described her as “a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance” and said, “Every Friday was movie night.” The preliminary hearing was tentatively rescheduled for May 26, 2026, after the defense agreed to the delay, keeping the case on a path defined by forensic records, digital trails and a widening evidentiary record.