Musician D4vd Pleads Not Guilty to Murder and Mutilation of 14-Year-Old Girl

David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, pleaded not guilty on April 20, 2026, to charges of first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse, and mutilation of the body of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose decomposed and dismembered remains were found in September 2025 in a Tesla registered to a Texas address linked to the singer. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Theresa McGonigle presided over the arraignment at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles. Burke, 21, sat behind a glass barrier and did not speak during the proceedings. His defense attorney Blair Berk entered the not guilty plea on his behalf and immediately requested a fast-tracked preliminary evidentiary hearing. Burke is currently held without bail and is scheduled to return to court on April 23, 2026.

Death penalty on the table, DA cites special circumstances Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced at a morning press conference that Burke could face the death penalty if convicted, citing special circumstances under California law. According to Hochman, those circumstances include lying in wait, murder for financial gain, and killing a witness in a criminal investigation. The witness in question was Hernandez herself, who prosecutors allege was killed after she threatened to expose Burke's alleged sexual crimes against her and, in the prosecution's framing, ruin his music career. Hochman stated that the prosecution possesses physical, forensic, and digital evidence it intends to present in court. The DA's office has not yet publicly confirmed whether it will seek the death penalty or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman, responding to Berk's request for a speedy hearing, said the prosecution would be "very happy to put on the evidence we've collected against Burke."

„Celeste was only a child, under the age of 14, when David Burke apparently had lewd and lascivious sexual relations with her on several occasions” — Nathan Hochman via Deadline

„We believe the actual evidence will show David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez” — Blair Berk via Deadline

Body found in impound lot after neighbors reported foul odor Hernandez, originally from Riverside County southeast of Los Angeles, had been reported missing as early as 2024, when she was 13 years old. Her relationship with Burke was documented on social media, according to investigators. Police discovered her body on September 8, 2025, after responding to a Hollywood impound lot where employees and neighbors had complained of a foul odor emanating from a parked vehicle. According to reporting by Le Temps and HotNews.ro, the car had sat parked for nearly a month in a luxury neighborhood before being towed. Investigators found her decomposed head and torso in a cadaver bag inside the Tesla's trunk. Cadaver bag At the time of the discovery, Burke was reported to be on tour and out of Los Angeles, and through representatives promised to cooperate with law enforcement. He was ultimately arrested on April 16, 2026, at his rented Hollywood Hills residence, nearly seven months after the body was found.

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Singer rose to fame with "Romantic Homicide" just before alleged crimes began Burke rose to prominence in 2022 when his song "Romantic Homicide" went viral on TikTok, ultimately reaching number 4 on Billboard's Hot Rock and Alternative Songs chart, according to AP News. He subsequently signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records. The case has drawn widespread attention in the United States in part because of the jarring contrast between the title of his breakthrough hit and the nature of the charges now filed against him. Burke began creating music to accompany video game montages he posted online, and "Romantic Homicide" was among his earliest releases. The song's commercial success on TikTok preceded his signing with major labels, according to AP News. His alleged criminal conduct, according to prosecutors, began as early as 2023, just one year after that commercial breakthrough. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell acknowledged at the press conference that the investigation had been complicated by the time elapsed between Hernandez's death and the discovery of her remains.

„The considerable amount of time that passed between her death and the discovery of the body resulted in the degradation or disappearance of crucial evidence” — Jim McDonnell via Le Temps

Judge McGonigle also ordered the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office to release the autopsy report for Hernandez, though the report had not yet been made available as of the time of the arraignment. Hernandez's parents were present in the courtroom during the proceedings.