By Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES, April 20 (Reuters) – David Burke, a 21‑year‑old musician known professionally as D4vd, pleaded not guilty on Monday to first-degree murder and other charges in the death of 14‑year‑old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, months after her dismembered body was found inside the trunk of his Tesla in Hollywood.
D4vd was charged with murder with special circumstances of lying in wait, committing a crime for financial gain, and murdering a witness in an investigation. He faces a maximum prison sentence of life without parole. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said prosecutors would decide later whether to seek the death penalty.
Attorneys for the singer entered the not-guilty plea on his behalf and asked for a preliminary hearing to be held as soon as possible for him to hear the evidence prosecutors say they have gathered.
“We believe the actual evidence will show David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez, nor was he the cause of her death,” defense attorney Blair Berk said during the arraignment in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Judge Theresa McGonigle said no bail would be set for D4vd, who remains in custody.
Earlier on Monday, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said Celeste’s decomposed and dismembered remains were found in September 2025 in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to D4vd. She had been missing for nearly a year and a half when the remains were discovered in the car, separated into two bags, Hochman said.
The vehicle had been parked for weeks in a Hollywood Hills neighborhood before being towed to an impound lot, where workers reported a foul odor.
Hochman said an investigation revealed D4vd was involved in a sexual relationship with Celeste when he was an adult and she was a minor. In addition to murder, he was charged with continuous sexual acts, lewd and lascivious sexual acts with an individual under 14 years old and mutilating a body.
The district attorney said Celeste was killed in a “brutal and horrific” crime but that he would wait until a coroner’s report was made public before disclosing her cause of death.
Hochman said authorities believed Celeste went to D4vd’s Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, and “was never heard from again.” Prosecutors allege the singer killed Celeste because she threatened to expose their relationship and pose harm to his career.
D4vd gained fame in 2022 after songs he recorded on his phone for his Fortnite gaming videos went viral on TikTok, with the hit “Romantic Homicide” helping him sign a deal with Interscope Records. He performed at the Coachella music festival in 2025.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Ethan Smith, Daniel Wallis and Chris Reese)
