The tarnished public image of David Anthony Burke stunned everyone after the hideous murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The news of the death of a 14-year-old girl from Lake Elsinore, California, went viral. The arrest of D4vd happened a few months later, after a foul odour from a vehicle owned by David Burke came to the notice of a worker working at the tow yard in Los Angeles. Finally, it was shocking that the vehicle was discovered along with the mutilated body of Celeste Rivas inside.
Let’s see what actually happened to Celeste Rivas Hernandez. In the article, we shed light on the Prosecutorial claims vs the defense position to confirm whether D4vd is guilty or not. Read this Elivestory blog to understand the complete compendium of the mysterious murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
Table of Contents
Who is D4vd?
Born on March 28, 2005, David Anthony Burke is an American singer cum song writer professionally known to all of his fans as D4vd. His musical journey began in 2021, and in 2022, he achieved commercial success with “Here with Me” and “Romantic Homicide”. The 21-year-old singer-songwriter was born in the city of New York and raised in Houston, in Texas.
In 2025, “Withered”, a debut studio album of his own, was released, which marked its place in 13th position on the US Billboard 200. Everything went well until his name was conjectured with the murder of a teen girl from California, which went public. It was none other than Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a teen girl from “Lake Elsinore, California”.
His rising fame suddenly took a dramatic twist, which made an obvious derailment of the earned fame due to the allegedly heinous act of the sexual abuse and unlawful mutilation of the body of a teen, as per court filings and prosecutors’ details. To discover what exactly happened with Celeste Rivas Hernandez, proceed to the later section.
What actually happened with Rivas- truth unfolded
Singer D4vd was allegedly charged with first-degree murder for his heinous sexual crime with 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. It was reportedly coming into the headline that David Burke allegedly had lewd and lascivious sexual relations with Rivas. Besides this, Singer D4vd was threatened by the teen that she would expose all his criminal conduct and all the fame in his musical career.
After the commotion heightened, Burke allegedly murdered. Later, according to the prosecutors’ claim, he cut her and chopped her body into pieces to carry the dismantled body. Afterwards, her mutilated body was placed in front of the trunk of hisTesla car. Shocking right?
Another detail will make you feel infuriated about D4vd, which kept the entire matter silent until it was revealed on September 8, 2025. A worker at the tow yard in Los Angeles smelled a foul odour from a vehicle. Immediately after smelling the foul odour, the worker reported the issue to the police. Henceforth, the actual truth was revealed a few months after the gruesome incident on September 8, 2025. The Department of Medical Examiner (DME) from the County of Los Angeles revealed that multiple penetrating injuries were seen in Celeste Rivas Hernandez and declared her death as homicidal.
D4vd Arrested Charges Explained
The death of Rivas was mournful, and the incident of her repeated sexual abuse stunned all after she was allegedly killed by d4vd, as per prosecutorial claims. But he didn’t end there. According to prosecutors, after allegedly killing her, Burke chopped her body and made it completely dismembered while keeping it in the front trunk of hisTesla car. These are the charges prosecutors have filed based on physical and digital evidence recovered from the scene.
The Los Angeles Police Department arrested the musician on charges of committing a heinous first-degree murder and continuous violence with a minor. The matter does not end here. After that, according to prosecutors, he mutilated her body and kept the chopped-up body inside hisTesla car to wipe away all the evidence against him.
Prosecutors claimed his evil intentions won’t be set aside by the public when a worker at the tow yard in Los Angeles discovered the foul smell inside a vehicle owned by him. According to Nathan Hochman, who is the Los Angeles County District Attorney, the incident is nothing less than a parent’s nightmare. Losing a girl at just 14 and hearing about her hideous murder by sexual sabotage, and ultimately seeing her body dismantled, is unbearable for any parent.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman added in the press conference
| “I am a parent of three children, and a parent’s nightmare is a situation where your daughter goes out one night and never comes back.” |
Latest Court Updates on D4vd Case
Let’s see the court updates & events details in chronological order revolving around the case of D4vd for the exoneration and conviction of the offence, which will be settled by the judiciary.
| Court Date update | Event | Detail information |
| April 16, 2026 | Arrest | On April 16, 2026, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) arrested D4vd on the grounds of murder. |
| The body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez (14) was found dismantled in the Tesla car of D4vd. | ||
| April 20, 2026 | Charges Filed | Charges were made for first-degree murder, sexual abuse, and unlawful mutilation of her body |
| Bail denied. | ||
| Late April 2026 | Preliminary Hearing | The judge set a benchmark for the preliminary hearing in early May. |
| Prosecutors filed disturbing details such as the alleged stabbing, purchases of body bags, and images of child sex abuse, which were seen on his iCloud account & phone. | ||
| April 29–30, 2026 | Status of Hearing | Postponement of preliminary hearing (from May 1) to May 26 at the defense’s request. |
| May 12, 2026 | Status of Hearing | Further postponement agreed. Another status hearing is set for June 17, 2026. |
What Happens Next?
The next status hearing in the D4vd case is scheduled for June 17, 2026, in Los Angeles County. Following that hearing, the preliminary hearing postponed from May 26 will be rescheduled. Prosecutors are expected to present evidence supporting the premeditation claim at that stage. According to Burke’s defense lawyer, the DNA evidence for the matter has not yet been received, which provides prosecutors a gateway to stall the case.
Beth Silverman, who is the Deputy District Attorney, added that the prosecution has ample volume of evidence that takes time to be shared and handled with sensitivity. Out of the total 40 terabytes of evidence, 10 terabytes have been shared to date, requiring some time to spill the beans.
Impact on D4vd’s Music Career after Arrest
After the arrest of David Burke on April 16, 2026, for the ongoing investigation of the allegedly murdered California teen Celeste Rivas Hernandez, Riot Games and Netflix reportedly scrubbed the Arcane song “Remember Me” from the internet and severed the singer’s association with their brand.
This arcane song, “Remember Me,” sung by d4vd, was also deleted from Apple Music, Spotify and the official music YouTube channel of Riot. Notable collaboration songs scraped from official streaming services, as per fan discussions and report claims, include Superbloodmoon, collaboratively performed with Holly Humberstone, “This Is How It Feels” with Laufey and “Crashing” with Kali Uchis.
Prosecutorial claims
According to prosecutors, the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez was premeditated and deliberately crafted to wipe away all the evidence. Prosecutorial claims revealed that after the commotion aggravated from an argument to hostility, D4vd allegedly stabbed her and continued violence by indulging in a sexually forcible lewd or lascivious act with a minor who is just 14. It is a criminal law terminology enshrined under California Penal Code § 288(a). According to the act, it refers to a willful activity of touching a minor with the desire to fulfil the intent for gratifying the lustful appeal is an offense as per California Penal Code § 288(a).
According to prosecutors, he mutilated her body in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence. Evidence that supports prosecutorial claims of premeditated murder includes explicit messages, tools ( shovel, body bag), and DNA in his garage.
Public Reaction
Intense criticism flooded the media and created disgust & outrage among the public when the prosecutor’s claim for the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez against d4vd was revealed. Let’s have a look at influencers’ views about it and how the LAPD’s delayed arrest ignited outrage among the public.
| Public reaction | How it actualized |
| Disgust among the public | The incident of possession of abusive material & dismemberment of the body ignites outrage & disgust against D4vd. |
| Influencers views | Online personalities like Pokimane condemned and criticized D4vd, mentioning the activity as a nightmare. |
| Delay in Investigation Scrutiny | Intense criticism flooded across the media for the LAPD’s delayed arrest. |
Conclusion
The case sparked a serious debate in the news and on social platforms. It was a homicidal death of a teen, Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The final verdict remains pending, with proceedings expected to continue through mid-2026. At the centre of these proceedings is Celeste Rivas Hernandez, from Lake Elsinore, whose family continues to seek justice.”
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Who is D4vd?
D4vd is the stage name of American singer and songwriter David Anthony Burke, born March 28, 2005, in New York and raised in Houston, Texas.
Why was D4vd arrested?
Singer D4vd was arrested for an alleged charge of first-degree murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
When and where was Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s body found?
The body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez was discovered on September 8, 2025, when a worker at a Los Angeles tow yard detected a foul odor from a vehicle registered to David Burke and alerted police.
Did Celeste Rivas Hernandez know the d4vd before the incident?
Yes, according to prosecutors, they first met in January 2022 when Celeste Rivas Hernandez was just 11 years old. Since November 2023, they have begun their sexual relationship. Rivas and Burke were then 13 and 18 years old, respectively.
Did both Rivas and Burke build any tattoos that support their illicit relationship before the incident?
Yes, both the prosecutors and investigators confirmed that both had matching tattoos “Shhh…” on their right index fingers. The presence of a matching tattoo is an indicative link of their illicit relationship.
