D4vd has been charged with murder following his arrest last Thursday for the death of a teen girl whose decomposed body was found in the trunk of his Tesla.
At a press conference on Monday, District Attorney Nathan Hochman said that the singer, whose real name is David Burke, would face a first-degree murder charge which could potentially make him eligible for the death penalty. He will also face charges for lewd acts with a child and for dismembering the girl’s body.
The victim, Celeste Rivas Hernandez, went to Burke’s home in the Hollywood Hills on April 23, 2025, Hochman said. That was the last time she was seen alive, he said. Her body was found five months later. Hochman declined to say how Rivas was killed, but said the coroner’s report would be released shortly.
“There is physical evidence and there is forensic and digital evidence that we intend to present in court to prove these charges beyond a reasonable doubt,” Hochman said.
The charges include allegations the Burke used a “sharp instrument” to kill Rivas. Burke is due to be arraigned later on Monday.
Hochman alleged that Burke was having a sexual relationship with Rivas, who was 14 when she died and 13 when she ran away from home.
Burke is accused of murder with multiple “special circumstances” that make the case eligible for either the death penalty or life without parole. Those include “lying in wait,” murder for financial gain, and murdering a witness to a crime — as Rivas is considered a witness to the lewd acts charge.
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At the press conference, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell defended the decision not to release details of the investigation sooner.
“My duty is not to fuel speculation,” he said. “It’s to deliver justice, and that requires patience and discipline on everybody’s part. This investigation was driven by a single purpose — to secure justice for Celeste Rivas and for those who loved her.”
Burke was arrested and held without bail last week following a lengthy investigation by the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division.
The case began back in September 2025, when LAPD officers were called to the Hollywood tow yard to investigate a foul odour emanating from the car, which had been in the yard for days. The police found the decomposed body placed inside of a bag in the front trunk of the Tesla, which was registered in Hempstead, Texas to D4vd. The car was impounded the previous week after being abandoned in the Hollywood Hills, where neighbours complained of a rotting smell.
Early reports indicated that D4vd was cooperating with the investigation. A week after he was linked to the body’s discovery, he cancelled the remaining dates of his U.S. and Australia tours.
The body was soon identified as Rivas, who was reported as missing in 2024 when she was 13. In November, the LAPD confirmed that they were investigating a trip that D4vd had taken to the Santa Barbara area sometime during the spring of 2025 following Hernandez’s disappearance, and the medical examiner’s office said the LAPD had blocked the office from releasing details about the death.
From Variety US