Singer D4vd charged with murder of girl, 14, found dismembered in his car

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said on Monday (early Tuesday AEST) that 21-year-old D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, was charged with first-degree murder; lewd and lascivious acts with a person under the age of 14; and mutilation of a body for the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

The murder charge included special circumstances – lying in wait, committing crimes for financial gain and killing the witness in an investigation – which could carry the death penalty. Prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will seek it.

Lawyers for the Houston-born alt-pop singer said he was innocent in a statement released after homicide detectives arrested him Thursday at a Hollywood home.

“Let us be clear: the factual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not kill Celeste Rivas Hernandez and that he was not the cause of her death,” the attorneys said.

Rivas Hernandez’s long-dead body was found in a Tesla that was towed from the Hollywood Hills on September 8, a day after she would have turned 15. Her family reported her missing in her hometown of Lake Elsinore, about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

The singer was investigated by an LA County grand jury investigating the death. The investigation was officially secret, but its existence — and his designation as a target — was revealed in February when his mother, father and brother appealed in a Texas court to subpoenas demanding they testify.

The 2023 Tesla Model Y was registered in the singer’s name at the Texas address of his subpoenaed relatives, according to court documents from prosecutors. It had been towed from an upscale Hollywood Hills neighborhood, where it had sat as if abandoned.

Police investigators who searched the Tesla at a tow yard found a carcass bag “covered in insects and a strong odor of decay,” according to court documents. Detectives partially unzipped a bag and found a head and torso.

Investigators from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office removed the bag and “discovered that the arms and legs were separated from the body,” according to court documents.

A second black bag was found under the first, containing dismembered body parts. No cause of death has been publicly released and police have called in a judge to block the release of details of the autopsy.

On Friday, the medical examiner told The Associated Press that the court order remained in effect after Burke’s arrest and suggested asking police if they would ask to have the order revoked.

Rivas Hernandez’s family has remained private and has not made any public statements about her death or the case.

D4vd, pronounced “David”, became popular among Gen Z for its mix of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. He went viral on TikTok in 2022 with the hit song Romantic murderpeaking at number 4 four on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.

He subsequently signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records and released his debut EP Petals to thorns and a sequel, The lost petalsin 2023.

When the body was discovered, the singer continued his North American tour, but when reports of his possible involvement spread widely, he canceled the final two shows and a European tour that was to follow.

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