Singer D4vd Faces Murder Trial After 14-Year-Old's Remains Found in His Tesla

A Case That Shocked the Music World

On September 8, 2025, the remains of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez were discovered in Los Angeles, California, inside the front trunk of an impounded Tesla Model X registered to David Burke — a musician known professionally as D4vd. What began as a tow yard worker noticing a foul odor would unravel into one of the most disturbing criminal cases to rock the music industry in recent memory. Now, more than a year after her death, the case is heading toward a critical turning point.

Celeste Abigail Rivas Hernandez was a 14-year-old girl from Lake Elsinore, California, born to parents who immigrated from El Salvador. She had two older siblings and attended Lakeland Village School. She was a regular at the corner store down the street from her home, and neighbors still recall her strolling around with her backpack and long curly black hair. She loved Hello Kitty, and the missing persons poster in Lake Elsinore said she was last seen wearing Hello Kitty slippers.

A Grim Discovery and a Lengthy Investigation

Her decomposed body was found on September 8 after workers at Hollywood Tow reported a strong odor coming from the Tesla registered to the singer. Officers opened the front trunk — also known as a frunk — and found the remains in two cadaver bags. They were found a day after what would have been Celeste's 15th birthday.

Investigators believe Rivas Hernandez was murdered on April 23, 2025. The day after, Burke allegedly ordered a shovel via Postmates. Between May 1 and 5, 2025, Burke allegedly used an alias to acquire chainsaws, a body bag, and an inflatable pool. Prosecutors claimed that D4vd killed the then-14-year-old Rivas with a "sharp instrument" and disposed of the body because she had threatened to reveal his sexual crimes and derail his burgeoning music career.

Two months after Rivas' body was found, reports began to trickle out that D4vd was a suspect in the LAPD's investigation. On November 26, 2025, the Los Angeles Times reported that the city's district attorney had empaneled an investigative grand jury. Surveillance video and other evidence confirmed that Burke was the last person to drive the vehicle on July 29, 2025, before he left Los Angeles on a concert tour, according to the prosecution's filing.

Charges Filed, Not-Guilty Plea Entered

Burke was arrested on April 17, 2026, and three days later was formally charged with first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. The criminal complaint also includes special circumstance allegations of murder of a witness, murder for financial gain, and lying in wait. D4vd pleaded not guilty to all counts at his arraignment.

Prosecutors revealed that they collected more than 40 terabytes of digital data from D4vd's devices during the monthslong investigation, including "a significant amount of child pornography" from his iPhone. An autopsy report released by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office determined that Rivas Hernandez's cause of death was homicide caused by "multiple penetrating injuries with unspecified objects."

Burke's attorneys issued a statement after the charges were announced: "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." Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said a decision on whether to seek the death penalty will be made at a later date.

What Comes Next

The murder case will move forward toward a preliminary hearing, a judge decided on July 7 in downtown Los Angeles. The 21-year-old appeared at a roughly 12-minute status hearing, where the judge finalized July 21 as the start date for the preliminary hearing. That hearing will determine whether the evidence is sufficient to send Burke to trial on the full charges.

For Celeste's community in Lake Elsinore, the legal proceedings offer little comfort but a measure of accountability. A neighbor who started and tends to a makeshift memorial outside the home where Celeste lived with her family said: "I don't want her remembered as a rebellious kid or a runaway. She was a daughter, a sister, a friend. She was a young girl just trying to figure out life, and she doesn't get to grow up." As the preliminary hearing approaches, the world will be watching to see whether the case advances to a full trial — and whether justice will ultimately be served for a girl whose life was cut far too short.