Singer David Anthony Burke charged with murder in teen's death, could face death penalty

Los Angeles County prosecutors charged David Anthony Burke, the singer known as D4vd, with first-degree murder in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, along with continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. The murder charge carried special-circumstance allegations of lying in wait, financial gain and killing a witness, allegations that could make Burke eligible for the death penalty if a later decision is made to seek it. Burke pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and was ordered held without bail.

Celeste Rivas Hernandez was last known to be alive on April 23, 2025, when she arrived at Burke’s Hollywood Hills home, according to prosecutors and the criminal complaint. She was never heard from again. Her badly decomposed and dismembered remains were found on Sept. 8, 2025, in Burke’s abandoned, impounded Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard after workers reported a foul odor coming from the vehicle. Officials said parts of her body were recovered in two bags.

Prosecutors said the case rests on physical, forensic and digital evidence. They also alleged that Burke committed lewd and lascivious sexual acts with Celeste while she was under 14 and that the killing was intended to preserve his music career and silence a witness. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman and law enforcement officials said the investigation remained focused on building the case for trial, not on a quick decision about capital punishment.

Celeste had previously been reported missing from Lake Elsinore in Riverside County as a runaway, and her disappearance drew attention from her family and community long before her remains were identified. The Riverside County community later held a memorial for her, and a verified fundraiser was created to help cover burial costs. Her family has described itself as heartbroken and devastated as the case moved from a missing-person report to a capital murder filing with the possibility of the harshest penalty in California law.