Prosecutors said on Wednesday that singer D4vd killed 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez by stabbing her multiple times. In a court document filed the same day, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office outlined what it claims the evidence will show, offering the first detailed account of alleged attempts to dismember Rivas Hernandez’s body and dispose of evidence. According to the filing, D4vd—whose legal name is David Anthony Burke—met Rivas Hernandez when she was 11, began sexually abusing her when she was 13 and he was 18, and later killed her when she threatened to expose their relationship.
“Knowing he had to silence the victim before she ruined his music career as she had threatened, very soon after her arrival at his home, defendant stabbed the victim to death multiple times and stood by while she bled out.”
Her body was later discovered decomposing inside a Tesla that had been towed from the Hollywood Hills in September last year.
Text messages found
Prosecutors said they recovered text messages between Rivas Hernandez and D4vd dated April 22, 2025—the night before her phone activity stopped and investigators believe she was killed. Authorities also found child sexual abuse images of her on his phone.
“The messages reveal the victim’s jealousy over defendant’s relationships with other women, as defendant led her to believe they had a future together. She became extremely upset and threatened to disclose damaging information about her relationship with defendant to end his career and destroy his life,” the document says.
The filing further alleges that Burke purchased two chainsaws online, which he used to cut apart her body in an inflatable pool. Prosecutors say the girl’s DNA was found in his garage, where they believe the dismemberment took place.
“Defendant took horrifying measures to destroy and discard the victim’s body,” prosecutors said in the brief. Due to the extent of decomposition, examiners were unable to determine even her eye colour. The report noted that she had braces at the time of her death and tattoos, including one that read “Shhh….” on the inside of a finger, along with his name. Two of her fingers were missing, as were parts of her arms and legs.
Until now, prosecutors had not publicly detailed how they believe Rivas Hernandez was killed or the nature of their relationship. An autopsy report concluded that she died from penetrating wounds.
Authorities said her parents first reported her missing from their home in Lake Elsinore, about 130 kilometres from Los Angeles, in February 2024. After that report, Riverside County Sheriff’s detectives contacted Burke, who claimed he had only met her once and did not know she was a minor.
After she briefly returned home, her parents confiscated her phone. Prosecutors allege that Burke later drove to her town and paid one of her friends $1,000 to give her another phone so they could stay in contact.
She was reported missing again in April 2024. The document states that she spent much of that year at Burke’s home in the Hollywood Hills and travelled with him to Las Vegas, London, and Texas, where she met his family.
Burke has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges. His lawyers maintain that he is innocent and did not cause Rivas Hernandez’s death.
During Wednesday’s hearing, defence lawyers asked Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo to seal the document, but she declined. The defence team did not comment outside the courtroom.
Media professional and journalist based in British Columbia, Canada. Founder of Studiox Film & TV Corporation, focusing on multicultural news, interviews, and community storytelling across Canada.
