Singer D4vd faces court date in capital murder case of 14-year-old girl

Singer D4vd, 21, is scheduled to appear in Los Angeles Superior Court Wednesday for a status conference in the capital murder case of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered remains were discovered in the trunk of his Tesla last September, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The case, which involves allegations of child sexual abuse, premeditated dismemberment and a plot to silence a witness, has drawn national attention and underscores the risks young fans face in unguarded proximity to entertainment industry figures across Southern California.

Burke, who records under the name D4vd, faces capital murder charges with special circumstance allegations of lying in wait, murder for financial gain and killing a witness to prevent testimony, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records reported by ABC7 Los Angeles. Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo is presiding over the case.

Prosecutors allege Burke stabbed Rivas Hernandez multiple times at his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, causing her to bleed out, before placing her body in a blue inflatable pool and using chainsaws to sever her limbs. Her decomposed remains were found September 8, 2025, in the front trunk of Burke's Tesla Model X at a Hollywood tow yard, with her head and torso in one bag and her severed limbs in another.

According to a court filing cited by ABC7 Los Angeles, Burke "purchased tools to carry out his plot to dismember and dispose of the victim's body, including ordering a shovel, two chain saws, a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags and a blue inflatable pool to be delivered to his home under a fake name." Prosecutors also allege Burke severed the victim's left ring and pinky fingers because the ring finger bore a tattoo of his name.

The alleged motive was to silence Rivas Hernandez before the release of his music album, prosecutors said. Court documents state the two first met in January 2022, when she was 11. Prosecutors allege a sexual relationship began in November 2023, when she was 13 and Burke was 18. Authorities also allege Burke possessed child pornography on an iPhone.

Burke's defense attorneys — Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter — rejected the allegations. "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. There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed," the attorneys said in a statement.

District Attorney Nathan Hochman has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled to begin May 26.

Burke remains in custody. Wednesday's status conference before Judge Olmedo is expected to address scheduling matters ahead of the May 26 preliminary hearing, where prosecutors will present evidence to determine whether the case proceeds to trial.