D4vd is the stage name of David Anthony Burke, a 21-year-old singer and songwriter from Houston who broke through on TikTok in 2022 with the bedroom-recorded hit “Romantic Homicide.” In April 2026, Los Angeles County prosecutors charged him with the first-degree murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered remains had been found in September 2025 in the trunk of his abandoned Tesla in the Hollywood Hills. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.
His Background and Music Career
Burke was born on March 28, 2005, in Queens, New York, and moved to Houston with his family around age 13. He was homeschooled in a Christian household and initially gravitated to gaming rather than music, joining the esports organization Team Limit and posting Fortnite montage videos. Copyright strikes on the music in those videos pushed him toward making his own tracks. He recorded his first song, “Run Away,” on an iPhone and earphones in his sister’s walk-in closet using the app BandLab.1Popfiltr. D4vd Artist Profile
In July 2022, at 17, he released “Romantic Homicide,” a track he wrote and recorded on his phone in roughly 30 minutes. It climbed to number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went multi-platinum. He signed with Darkroom Records under the Interscope and Universal Music Group umbrella and released two EPs, Petals to Thorns in May 2023 and The Lost Petals that September. He opened for SZA, performed at Coachella, and built a fanbase largely made up of teenagers and young adults. His debut album, Withered, came out on April 25, 2025, with a North American headlining tour and a European leg planned to follow.2SongwriterUniverse. D4vd Songs Withered Romantic Homicide
Celeste Rivas Hernandez and Her Relationship With Burke
Celeste Rivas Hernandez was a teenager from Lake Elsinore, California. According to prosecutors’ court filings, she and Burke first made contact in January 2022, when she was 11 years old, reportedly in a fan chatroom. Prosecutors allege a sexual relationship began in November 2023, when she was 13 and Burke was 18.3People. Celeste Rivas Hernandez Met D4vd at 11 Years Old4ABC7. Singer D4vd Charged With Murder Timeline
By early 2024, the two were seen together publicly. Burke was photographed near Rivas Hernandez’s home in Lake Elsinore between January and March 2024, she appeared on his Twitch livestream that January, and she was later photographed backstage at one of his Los Angeles shows in June 2024.5KCRA. Lake Elsinore Celeste Rivas Hernandez D4vd Murder Case The two shared matching “Shhh…” tattoos on their index fingers. Her mother told reporters that her daughter had begun talking about a boyfriend named “David” but said she had never met him.6Fox LA. D4vd Subreddit Locked
Rivas Hernandez was reported missing in Lake Elsinore in April 2024 at age 13. During a police welfare check two months earlier, in February 2024, Burke had told authorities he met her only once, in November 2023, and denied knowing she was a minor.3People. Celeste Rivas Hernandez Met D4vd at 11 Years Old
What Was Found in the Tesla
On September 8, 2025, a 2023 Tesla Model Y registered to Burke was towed from an upscale Hollywood Hills neighborhood after appearing abandoned. Inside the front trunk, investigators found a cadaver bag covered in insects. Partially unzipping it revealed a decomposed head and torso. A second black bag underneath contained additional dismembered body parts; the arms and legs had been severed. Surveillance video showed Burke as the last person seen driving the vehicle, on July 29, 2025.4ABC7. Singer D4vd Charged With Murder Timeline
On September 16, dental records identified the remains as Celeste Rivas Hernandez. She would have turned 15 the day before the car was found.6Fox LA. D4vd Subreddit Locked7County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner. Cause and Manner of Death Determination for Celeste Rivas Hernandez8CNN. D4vd Celeste Rivas Hernandez Autopsy
What Prosecutors Allege
Prosecutors say Rivas Hernandez was last known to be alive on April 23, 2025, heading to Burke’s rented home in the Hollywood Hills. The day before, according to the prosecution, she had threatened to “destroy his life” by exposing their relationship.9BBC. D4vd Charged With Murder Prosecutors contend Burke killed her with a sharp instrument to protect his career and finances, then took extensive steps to dispose of the body.
Court filings allege Burke bought a series of items under a fake name in the weeks after the killing: a shovel on April 24, two chainsaws on May 1, a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags, and a blue inflatable pool on May 5, and a “burn cage” on July 7. Prosecutors allege he dismembered the victim in his garage using a chainsaw and possibly other tools. When police executed a search warrant at the home on September 17, 2025, biological samples tested positive for blood and matched the victim’s DNA.4ABC7. Singer D4vd Charged With Murder Timeline A forensic expert later matched the blue plastic fragments found in the remains to the inflatable pool Burke had purchased.10ABC7 NY. Court Document Details How Celeste Rivas Hernandez Was Believed Killed
Prosecutors also cited text messages and location data placing Burke near Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County on April 23, May 8, and May 31, 2025. In January 2026, a Caltrans worker found the victim’s passport card along State Route 154 in that same area.4ABC7. Singer D4vd Charged With Murder Timeline Burke’s phone, prosecutors allege, contained a “significant amount” of child sexual abuse material, and text messages between him and Rivas Hernandez referenced sex, pregnancy, and abortion.10ABC7 NY. Court Document Details How Celeste Rivas Hernandez Was Believed Killed
The Charges Against Him
Detectives arrested Burke on April 16, 2026, at a home in Hollywood.11Houston Public Media. Singer D4vd Charged With Murder of 14-Year-Old Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman filed charges on April 20, 2026, under case number 26CJCF02399:
- First-degree murder with special circumstance allegations of lying in wait, committing the crime for financial gain, and murdering a witness to an investigation. The complaint alleges Burke “personally used a deadly and dangerous weapon, a sharp instrument.”
- Continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14.
- Unlawful mutilation of human remains.
The special circumstances make Burke ineligible for bail and expose him to a potential sentence of death or life in prison without the possibility of parole. The District Attorney’s office has not announced whether it will seek the death penalty, saying “a decision on the death penalty will be made at a later date.”12Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Singer D4vd Charged With Capital Murder of 14-Year-Old Girl The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman of the Major Crimes Division and is assigned to Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo.13Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Singer D4vd Charged With Capital Murder of 14-Year-Old Girl
His Plea and Defense
Burke was arraigned on April 20, 2026, and pleaded not guilty to all charges.14New York Times. D4vd Murder Charges Celeste Rivas Hernandez15Fox LA. D4vd Legal Team Celeste Rivas Hernandez Murder Trial16CNN. D4vd Case Update Celeste Rivas Hernandez17USA Today. D4vd Case News Updates Murder Court Hearing Postponed18ABC7. D4vd Celeste Rivas Hernandez Murder Case Updates
What Happened to His Music Career
The fallout began as soon as the remains were identified in September 2025. Interscope Records suspended all promotional activity and shelved the planned deluxe edition of Withered. The final two shows of his North American tour, in San Francisco and Los Angeles, were canceled, along with a Grammy Museum appearance and the full European leg.19Rolling Stone. D4vd Withered Deluxe Album Shows Canceled Crocs and Hollister suspended their partnerships.20Variety. D4vd Cancels Tour Investigation Dead Body Car
Interscope later dropped Burke entirely before the arrest, and a source confirmed to Billboard that he was also no longer signed to Sony Music Publishing. Universal Music Group holds no ownership or copyrights in his music because his deal was structured as a licensing agreement; his catalog on streaming platforms now credits “D4VD ENT., LLC.”21Rolling Stone. D4vd Dropped by Label Interscope Song Collabs Pulled After the April 2026 arrest, UMG helped several collaborators pull their songs with him from streaming services. Tracks featuring Kali Uchis, Holly Humberstone, and Laufey were removed. Damiano David replaced his duet “Tangerine” with a solo version. The Kid Laroi’s 2023 track “THE LINE,” which features Burke, remained available as of mid-2026.22The A.V. Club. D4vd Dropped by Label and Collaborators Before Arrest YouTube suspended his account from its Partner Program, demonetizing his channels.