Singer D4vd has been charged with first-degree murder and other counts in the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced the charges at a news conference on Monday, April 20, in downtown L.A.
Hochman said the murder charge includes special circumstances of lying in wait; committing a crime for financial gain; and murdering the witness in an investigation.
The lying in wait allegation stemmed from D4vd allegedly inviting Celeste to his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, and she was never heard from again.
The singer, born David Anthony Burke, is also charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14 and mutilating a body.
“These charges include the most serious charges that a D.A.’s office can bring — that is, first-degree murder with special circumstances,” Hochman told a room full of reporters.
The D.A. also revealed that the pop star had been under investigation for an alleged sexual relationship with the underage girl, and Celeste was considered a key witness. Authorities alleged that the singer killed the teen to protect his “lucrative” career.
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell attended the news conference as well, and said the LAPD’s seven-month investigation into Celeste’s death included “digital and forensic evidence.”
The teenager’s dismembered and decomposed body was found in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to the singer on Sept. 8, 2025, after LAPD police officers were called to a tow yard in Hollywood about a strong odor coming from an impounded vehicle.
The singer was arrested at his home in the Hollywood Hills on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Following the arrest, his attorneys released a joint statement questioning the investigation.
“Let us be clear, the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez, and he was not the cause of her death,” said attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter. “David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”
If convicted as charged, the 21-year-old performer faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, or the death penalty. Hochman said his office will decide later if it will seek the death penalty.
D4vd appeared in a downtown L.A. courtroom late Monday afternoon, and one of his
lawyers entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Celeste’s family arrived at the courthouse just before the hearing began, but did not speak to the media.
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