D4vd Accused of Dismembering 14-Year-Old Celeste Rivas in Garage, Prosecutors Say
D4vd Accused of Dismembering 14-Year-Old Celeste Rivas in Garage, Prosecutors Say
Prosecutors allege singer D4vd killed 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez and dismembered her body in his Los Angeles garage after she threatened to expose their relationship.
In Los Angeles County, prosecutors outline the case against 21-year-old singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, charging him with first-degree murder and related counts in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The court filing details a sequence of events prosecutors say began with a relationship that allegedly turned deadly after she threatened to expose it.
According to the filing, Burke met Rivas Hernandez when she was 11 and began a sexual relationship with her when she was 13, while he was 18. Prosecutors say the relationship continued until her arrival at his home, where she allegedly threatened to reveal the relationship and damage his music career, prompting what the filing describes as a fatal attack. The document states Burke stabbed the victim to death multiple times and stood by as she bled out before attempting to conceal the crime.
Investigators say the body was dismembered with chainsaws in Burke’s garage and later found decomposing in a Tesla towed from the Hollywood Hills. The filing notes text messages between April 22, 2025—the night before the victim’s phone activity went quiet—and other data that prosecutors say establish a sexual relationship and controlling dynamics. They also reference alleged child sexual abuse images found on Burke’s phone.
Prosecutors say surveillance video, Tesla data, photographs, Amazon deliveries, and DNA found in the garage form part of the evidence tying Burke to the crime. Burke has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and related counts, and his lawyers maintain his innocence. A preliminary evidentiary hearing is scheduled to begin May 26.
