Prosecutors allege a dispute over d4vd’s relationships with other women preceded the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez in April 2025. The case has drawn intense attention because of the grave allegations against the singer-songwriter and the long period before her remains were found.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s evidence brief alleges that d4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, arranged for Celeste to be taken from Lake Elsinore to his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025. Prosecutors contend she was killed shortly after arriving, following an argument the previous day.
A Relationship at the Center of the Case
According to the prosecution’s brief, d4vd and Celeste met in 2022, when she was 11. Prosecutors say their sexual relationship began in November 2023, when he was 18 and she was 13.
Text messages cited in the filing described a volatile relationship that continued after a reported breakup in November 2024. Prosecutors allege Celeste believed they had a future together and threatened to reveal damaging information about the relationship.
The brief says d4vd had an emerging music career, a record deal, endorsements and an album release approaching at the time of the alleged killing. His debut album, Withered, was released days after the April dispute, and he later departed on an international tour.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| April 22, 2025 | Prosecutors say d4vd and Celeste had a lengthy argument through text messages. |
| April 23, 2025 | An Uber allegedly took Celeste from Lake Elsinore to d4vd’s Hollywood Hills home. |
| Late July 2025 | d4vd left for an international concert tour, according to the prosecution’s account. |
| September 8, 2025 | Celeste’s remains were found in d4vd’s impounded Tesla in Los Angeles. |
What Prosecutors Allege Happened Next
The district attorney’s filing alleges d4vd stabbed Celeste shortly after she arrived at his home and then tried to conceal evidence of the crime. The brief says he later purchased chainsaws, a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags and a blue inflatable pool online.
Prosecutors allege he dismembered her body in the inflatable pool and placed the remains in bags inside the front trunk of his Tesla. They said blue plastic fragments found in her remains were physically matched to the pool.
The filing also alleges that some of Celeste’s fingers were removed because one had a tattoo of d4vd’s name. Prosecutors said those fingers have not been recovered.
According to www.cnn.com, prosecutors allege d4vd left the remains in the Tesla for weeks while telling people who noticed a strong odor that it had another explanation. The vehicle was later parked near his home before he began touring, the brief said.
Arrest, Charges and Defense Response
d4vd was arrested in April and pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and mutilating human remains. The charges are allegations, and the case has not been resolved in court.
After the arraignment, defense attorney Blair Berk said evidence “will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death.” The statement directly disputes the prosecution’s account of the killing.
Celeste had been reported missing by family and friends on several occasions beginning in early 2024. Her remains were discovered one day after what would have been her 15th birthday.
Patrick Steinfeld, an attorney for Celeste’s family, said they were facing “indescribable pain” while trying to continue with daily life. He said the family wanted time to grieve and heal.