BREAKING: Singer D4vd officially charged with first-degree murder <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nLos Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Monday that 21-year-old musician David Burke, known professionally as D4VD, has been charged with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas.<\/p>\n
Hochman said Rivas’ remains were found last year in the front trunk of a car registered to D4vd. She was missing for almost a year and a half when her dismembered remains were found in September 2025.<\/p>\n
The vehicle was parked in the Hollywood Hills area for several weeks, after which it was moved to an impound lot, where workers reported a foul odor.<\/p>\n
D4vd rose to fame in 2022 when songs recorded on his phone for his Fortnite gaming videos went viral on TikTok, with the hit “Romantic Homicide” helping him sign a deal with Interscope Records. He was scheduled to be arraigned Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n
The story behind Rivas Hernandez’s death has been haunting Los Angeles for more than half a year. Investigators had been looking for D4vd as a primary suspect for months and his arrest last week marked a major development in the case.<\/p>\n
Rivas Hernandez’s remains were found inside a Tesla that was towed from the Hollywood Hills on September 8, a day after she would have turned 15. His family reported him missing from his hometown of Lake Elsinore, about 120 km southeast of Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
Authorities did not publicly name Burke as a suspect until his arrest. And last week a statement from his lawyers, saying they would “vigorously defend David’s innocence”, was revealed publicly for the first time.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a press conference on April 20, 2026 that Celeste Rivas Hernandez went to the singer’s home and was not seen alive again.<\/p>\n
The singer’s death was being investigated by an L.A. County grand jury. The investigation was officially secret, but its existence \u2013 and her designation as its target \u2013 came to light in February when her mother, father and brother objected to subpoenas seeking to testify in a Texas court.<\/p>\n
Seven months after her body was found, D4vid was arrested on suspicion of murder.<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office announced that they will file three charges against D4vid, including first-degree murder.<\/p>\n
DA Nathan Hochman says the charges also include multiple indecent sexual acts with a person under the age of 14.<\/p>\n
Specifically, if D4vd is found guilty, he could face life without parole or the death penalty.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n