D4vd Pleads Not Guilty to First-Degree Murder of 14-Year-Old Celeste Rivas Hernandez

Singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of first-degree murder in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose decomposing remains were found in September in a Tesla registered to his Texas address.

“LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Legal experts are weighing in after alt-pop singer D4vd made his first court appearance on Monday and pleaded not guilty to the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez”

ABC7 Los Angeles

In a Los Angeles courtroom on Monday, Burke’s defence team entered the plea on his behalf after he did not speak during his arraignment, which was his first court appearance since his arrest last week.

ABC7 Los Angeles

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said that on 23 April 2025, Rivas Hernandez went to Burke’s house in the Hollywood Hills and “she was never heard from again,” and he announced three sets of charges against the singer.

The first is first-degree murder with special circumstances of “lying in wait,” the second is an additional special circumstances of alleged murder for “financial gain,” and the third is murdering a witness to an investigation.

Hochman accused Burke of murdering the 14-year-old to maintain his lucrative musical career “that Celeste was threatening on that particular night,” and he said the third charge involves evidence that Rivas Hernandez was a witness in an investigation of sexual acts committed by Burke.

Burke’s lawyers said they believed the “actual evidence will show that David did not kill Celeste” and that he was not the cause of her death, echoing remarks made after his arrest.

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said, “My duty is not to fuel speculation. It’s to deliver justice, and that requires patience and discipline on everybody’s part,” and he added that conditions of the teen’s remains delayed determining a cause of death.

Prosecutors tied the case to a sequence of dates stretching from Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s last known contact to the discovery of her body in Burke’s vehicle.

BBC reported that Hochman said on 23 April 2025, Rivas Hernandez went to Burke’s house in the Hollywood Hills and “she was never heard from again,” and it said her dismembered and decomposed remains were found on 8 September 2025 in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke’s Texas address.

ABC7 San Francisco

The BBC added that when authorities removed the bag, they discovered severed arms and legs inside, and it described the investigation as having been driven by the need to secure justice for Celeste Rivas and “for those who loved her,” as McDonnell put it.

AP said Burke was charged with first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14 and mutilating a body, and it described the case as having been under a largely secret investigation in the seven months since Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found dead.

AP reported that a judge said Burke would continue to be held without bail, and it said the girl’s parents appeared at the hearing and did not speak to reporters outside court.

USA Today said the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced the charges on Monday, April 20, and it quoted Hochman saying, “She was never heard from again,” during a press conference.

NBC News said police found Celeste on Sept. 8 in the trunk of Burke’s abandoned Tesla, which was impounded at Hollywood Tow, after officers were called over concerns about a foul odor emanating from the vehicle.

Across multiple reports, prosecutors and defense attorneys presented sharply different accounts of what happened to Celeste Rivas Hernandez and why.

“Rapper D4vd’ charged with murder of 14-year-old girl Singer D4vd has been charged in the United States with murder in the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a 14-year-old girl who was last seen alive nearly a year ago”

Al Jazeera

ABC7 Los Angeles quoted former prosecutor turned criminal defense attorney R.J. Dreiling describing what prosecutors’ theory “appears to be,” saying that “D4vd entered into a sexual relationship with an underage girl,” and that “at some point, D4vd became concerned, either through the girl or a third party, that this was gonna be reported to an investigating agency, and that he then lured her to his house, killed her, and dismembered her to avoid her going to the police.”

ABC7 also quoted Hochman saying, “What makes us confident is the totality of the evidence,” and it said prosecutors planned to use forensic evidence from “D4vd's Tesla, where Celeste's body was found in two bags” along with physical and digital evidence.

The defense position was consistent across outlets: BBC said Burke’s defence team believed the “actual evidence will show that David did not kill Celeste,” and AP quoted lead defense attorney Blair Berk saying, “We believe the actual evidence will show David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez” and “We would like to have the evidence come into the light of day.”

USA Today quoted Burke’s attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter saying, “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,” and it added, “We will vigorously defend David's innocence.”

NBC News reported that attorneys for Burke requested an open preliminary hearing and said they had received little to no discovery ahead of arraignment, while the prosecution noted that a release of information from the grand jury required a motion to the court.

In court, AP said Burke appeared behind glass in a custody area dressed in black, and it reported that a judge ordered he be held without bail.

The next procedural steps described by the reports center on hearings, evidence access, and the possibility of capital punishment.

AP said a hearing to work out what will happen next was scheduled for Thursday, and it reported that Burke is entitled under California law to have the evidentiary hearing within 10 court days of his arraignment, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Thursday.

AP News

BBC said the court ordered the coroner to share the report on the teen's death, which had been barred from public release in a rare move by authorities, and it said Burke’s team asked for an open hearing after months of grand jury hearings behind closed doors.

NBC News said attorneys for Burke requested an open preliminary hearing, and it reported that a court date has been set for Thursday.

USA Today said the murder charge carries a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole and the death penalty, and it quoted Hochman saying a determination about the death penalty will be made at a later time.

ABC7 Los Angeles said the 21-year-old faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty if convicted as charged, and it quoted Hochman as saying prosecutors are ready to prove their theory beyond a reasonable doubt.

The reports also describe the evidence scale and the role of the medical examiner’s office, with Los Angeles Times saying Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Silverman said prosecutors have amassed “40 terabytes” worth of evidence in the case.

The coverage also diverges in how it frames the case’s public narrative, the alleged motive, and the relationship between the investigation and media disclosure.

“- Published US musician D4vd has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder in the death of a teenage girl who vanished last year”

BBC

BBC emphasized the courtroom dynamics and secrecy, noting that Burke’s team asked for an open hearing after months of grand jury hearings behind closed doors and that the court ordered the coroner to share the report on the teen's death, which had been barred from public release in a rare move by authorities.

BBC

BBC also quoted Hochman describing the case as “a parent's nightmare” and quoted McDonnell responding to criticism about police not providing details, saying, “My duty is not to fuel speculation. It's to deliver justice, and that requires patience and discipline on everybody's part.”

USA Today highlighted the DA’s framing of grief and accountability, quoting Hochman saying, “Their grief is incalculable, as to what happened to their daughter,” and it quoted McDonnell’s explanation that the investigation was driven by a single purpose: “to secure justice for Celeste Rivas and for those who loved her.”

KTLA focused on the alleged motive and the physical details of the aftermath, quoting Hochman saying, “When she threatened to expose his criminal conduct and devastate his musical career, Burke allegedly murdered her, cut up her body and stuffed her body in two bags that were placed in the front trunk of his car.”

NBC News described the legal allegations in terms of enhancements and the medical examiner’s report, quoting Hochman saying he intends to seek an order allowing the medical examiner’s office to release the report, and it quoted McDonnell about evidence degradation and false information circulating publicly.

The Los Angeles Times added a quantitative detail about evidence, quoting Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Silverman saying prosecutors have amassed “40 terabytes” worth of evidence, and it described the alleged abuse period as starting on Sept. 7, 2023 and lasting for at least one year.