D4vd Charged with Murder of 14-Year-Old Whose Body Was Found Dismembered in Car

UPDATE (April 20th at 2:30 p.m. EST): This story has been updated after D4vd was charged with murder.

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Rapper D4vd was charged with first-degree murder on Monday in the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, was first investigated after the body of a missing girl, identified as Rivas Hernandez, was found in his impounded Tesla. The singer was first arrested on Thursday, and on Monday, LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced D4vd was charged with the following: first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual acts, lewd and lascivious sexual acts with an individual under 14-years-old, and mutilating human remains.

He is currently being held without bail. If convicted as charged, D4vd would face life in prison without the possibility of parole, or the death penalty.

Last September, Rivas Hernandez’s body was discovered at a Hollywood tow yard after workers reported a strong odor coming from the car. TMZ notes that Rivas Hernandez was identified through a “Shhh…” tattoo on her right index finger; D4vd has the same matching tattoo. Her body was reportedly found wrapped in plastic and was so badly decomposed that it wasn’t fully intact.

Investigators previously stated the rapper took a trip to a remote area of Santa Barbara County in the middle of the night back in the spring of 2025, where he reportedly stayed for two hours. Rivas Hernandez was first reported missing in Riverside County, California — approximately 50 miles east of Los Angeles. 

According to TMZ, Rivas’s mom said she was aware Rivas was dating someone named David, and the two had been seen together in the past.

D4vd’s attorney noted in a statement to ABC7 that his client is innocent and did not kill Rivas Hernandez.

“Let us be clear – the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death,” the statement read. “There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed. David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”

This is a developing story.