D4vd charged with murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez

D4vd charged with murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas HernandezSinger faces first-degree murder and additional charges that could lead to life without parole or the death penalty.Published On 20 Apr 2026Singer D4vd has been charged in the United States with murder in the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a 14-year-old girl who was last seen alive nearly a year ago.The 21-year-old musician, whose legal name is David Burke, ⁠faces first-degree murder and additional charges, including lewd acts with a minor and mutilation of a body. D4vd pleaded not guilty on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2Rapper d4vd arrested on suspicion of murdering 14-year-old girllist 2 of 2Rapper D4vd’ charged with murder of 14-year-old girlend of listThe prosecutor said Rivas Hernandez’s dismembered and decomposed body was discovered in September inside an apparently abandoned Tesla linked to the singer.Authorities said the case includes special circumstances – lying in wait, committing crime for financial gain and the alleged killing of the witness in an investigation – making Burke eligible for life without parole or the death penalty.Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said prosecutors would decide later whether to seek the ‌death penalty.Burke was arrested at a home in Hollywood on Thursday and was being held without bail.The witness he is alleged to have killed is Rivas Hernandez, who could have given testimony about the sex crime allegations.Rivas Hernandez had disappeared in 2024, when she was 13. That was her age when, according to an allegation in a criminal complaint, the singer engaged in continuous sexual abuse of her for at least a year from September 2023 to September 2024.Hochman said authorities believed the girl went to D4vd’s Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, and “was never heard from again”.Burke’s lawyers said on Monday that the evidence would show he is innocent.