Singer D4vd accused of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez and mutilating her body
Consensus Summary
Singer David Anthony Burke, known as D4vd, is facing trial for the alleged murder and mutilation of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez in April 2025. Prosecutors claim Burke stabbed Hernandez to death at his Los Angeles residence to prevent her from exposing their sexual relationship, which began when he was 18 and she was 13. Text messages and forensic evidence, including bloodstains in Burke’s Tesla and garage, support the prosecution’s case. Hernandez’s dismembered body was found in Burke’s car in September 2025, five months after her death, and her autopsy revealed two stab wounds. Burke, now 21, has pleaded not guilty and argues the evidence is insufficient, highlighting Hernandez’s threats against him. A preliminary hearing in July 2025 established probable cause for trial, with testimony including graphic details of the crime and Burke’s financial motivations, as he earned over $7.2m from 2022 to 2025. Both sides presented text messages showing Hernandez’s threats to expose their relationship, while defense attorneys questioned the forensic evidence and Burke’s alleged intent.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Celeste Rivas Hernandez was 14 years old at the time of her death
- David Anthony Burke (D4vd) was 21 years old when arrested in April 2025
- Burke and Hernandez had a sexual relationship beginning when he was 18 and she was 13
- Hernandez’s body was found in a Tesla registered to Burke in September 2025, five months after her death
- Burke was arrested in April 2025 and has been held without bail since then
- Prosecutors allege Burke stabbed Hernandez to death in April 2025 to silence her about their relationship
- Text messages show Hernandez threatened to expose Burke’s relationship and end his career
- Burke pleaded not guilty to murder, sexual abuse, and mutilation of human remains
- A preliminary hearing concluded with probable cause for trial in July 2025
- Hernandez’s autopsy revealed two stab wounds: one to the abdomen and one to the left chest
- Burke’s label, Interscope, paid him and affiliated entities over $7.2m from 2022 to 2025
- Burke released his first full-length album, *Withered*, two days after Hernandez’s death in April 2025
- Hernandez’s passport was found in January 2026 off State Route 154 in Santa Barbara
- Burke’s Tesla contained Hernandez’s dismembered remains, with bloodstains and forensic evidence linking her DNA to the vehicle
- Burke’s preliminary hearing lasted five days, with testimony including text messages, forensic evidence, and witness accounts
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The preliminary hearing lasted five days, with Judge Charlaine Olmedo ruling there was probable cause for trial
- Hernandez’s body was found nearly five months after her death, and Burke’s Tesla was impounded in Hollywood
- Burke’s final album, *Withered*, was released two days after authorities say Hernandez was killed
- Burke’s career was rising before the allegations, with a breakthrough song *Romantic Homicide* in 2022
- Hernandez’s phone went silent at 10am on April 23, 2025, after she sent her final text: 'girly pop i’m almost there open ur door if ur home'
- Burke’s defense argued that Hernandez had threatened to kill and mutilate him before her death
- Burke apologized to Hernandez in January 2024 via text after impregnating her, and she received an abortion at age 13
- Prosecutors previewed evidence in an April 2025 court filing, including text messages about pregnancy, abortion, and Plan B
- Hernandez’s body was found in September 2025 after a pungent odor and flies were noticed in the Tesla
- Burke purchased chainsaws, a body bag, and a shovel after Hernandez’s death, according to prosecutors
- Bloodstains were detected on items in Burke’s garage, including rubber mats with linear cuts consistent with a sharp object
- Burke’s financial manager, Benjamin Gregor, was questioned about Burke’s finances and travel arrangements for Hernandez
- Hernandez’s parents knew about her relationship with Burke and had given consent for her to travel to London with him
- Burke’s preliminary hearing was expected to conclude on Thursday, with testimony spanning five days
- Hernandez’s autopsy report was unsealed in April, revealing two stab wounds and decomposition challenges
- Burke’s label terminated his contract in December 2025
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian states Hernandez was 13 years old when the sexual abuse began, while ABC states she was 14 at the time of her death (no direct contradiction, but age discrepancy exists in phrasing)
- ABC specifies Hernandez’s body was found 'nearly five months after her death,' while the Guardian says 'five months after prosecutors allege Burke killed her,' implying a slight timing ambiguity
- The Guardian mentions Hernandez’s autopsy revealed 'two stab wounds' in April, but ABC does not explicitly state the number of wounds in its reporting
- ABC states Burke’s preliminary hearing lasted five days, while the Guardian describes it as lasting from three to five days
- The Guardian notes Burke’s label terminated his contract in December 2025, but ABC does not mention this detail
Source Articles
Singer D4vd had impregnated teenager he is accused of fatally stabbing
Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who was 13 at the time, later received an abortion, text messages indicate Singer D4vd had impregnated the teenager he is accused of fatally stabbing, according to evidence presented in a Los Angeles courtroom on Friday. Celeste Rivas Hernandez later received an abortion, text messages between the two indicate. The musician, who was born David Anthony Burke, apologized to Rivas Hernandez in January 2024 for “putting her through this”, in a text message obtained from his
Singer D4vd to stand trial for allegedly killing and dismembering 14yo girl
D4vd, the 21-year-old singer born David Burke, will stand trial for the alleged killing and dismemberment of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
D4vd set to appear in court over death of teen girl found in his Tesla
Prosecutors seeking to try musician, born David Anthony Burke, for murder over death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez Singer-songwriter D4vd is set to appear in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday as prosecutors aim to prove sufficient evidence exists for him to stand trial for the murder and sexual abuse of a minor, Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The preliminary hearing is expected to conclude on Thursday. The proceeding follows several delays in the case, in part due to the voluminous amount of investigato
D4vd lawyers challenge police testing of evidence found in singer’s home
Defense attorneys question LAPD criminalist on third day of hearing to decide whether singer will stand trial Attorneys for the singer D4vd scrutinized how law enforcement officials chose to test evidence found in his home during the third day of a hearing to determine whether he will stand trial for murder and child sexual abuse. Prosecutors say D4vd, born David Anthony Burke, fatally stabbed 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez last year to prevent her from exposing the sexual nature of their r
Court told of slain girl’s final texts as she approached singer D4vd’s home
Los Angeles prosecutors give detailed account of Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s last night Prosecutors on Monday gave a moment-by-moment account of the last night of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, showing that after a stream of text messages with the singer D4vd, her phone went permanently silent when she arrived at his home. The texts were shown in court on the fifth and probably final day of a Los Angeles hearing to determine whether he will go to trial in her killing. Continue reading...
Possible bloodstains were detected at D4vd’s home, law enforcement testify
Gory details about tarp, mats and inflatable pool come to light during hearing over death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez At singer D4vd’s former Hollywood Hills home, law enforcement detected possible bloodstains – invisible to the naked eye – on items including a green tarp, black rubber mats and a crumpled inflatable pool that had the odor of fresh laundry. The gory details came to light on Wednesday, the second day of a hearing to determine whether there was probable cause for the musician, whose