OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
4:26 PM – Friday, April 17, 2026
The Los Angeles Police Department arrested 21-year-old David Anthony Burke, the alt-pop singer known professionally in the music world as “D4vd,” on Thursday, on suspicion of murder in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
Burke is being held without bail.
The arrest comes approximately seven months after the teenager’s severely decomposed and dismembered remains were discovered on September 8, 2025, in the front trunk of a Tesla Model Y registered to Burke. The vehicle had been abandoned and towed from the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Major Crimes Division is scheduled to review the case for formal charging decisions, with a presentation expected on this upcoming Monday. No formal charges or indictment have been filed as of yet.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez, from Lake Elsinore, California, had a history of running away from home. However, she was first reported missing in April 2024 at age 13 and had limited contact with her family afterward. The exact date and cause of her death have not been publicly determined due to the advanced state of decomposition.
Investigators believe Hernandez was killed sometime after she turned 14. The nature of her relationship with Burke has been a significant focus of the investigation. While authorities have not officially described it as “dating,” family members have stated that Celeste referred to having a boyfriend named David, and other reported evidence — including social media activity, tattoos, and witness accounts — suggests they had a close personal connection.
Nonetheless, Burke’s defense team maintains his complete innocence and disputes any implication of responsibility for her death. Her remains were identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Burke was taken into custody shortly after 4:30 p.m. at a residence in the Hollywood Hills without incident. LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division detectives, with assistance from other units, executed the arrest. One video from the scene showed officers using a battering ram on a gate. He was booked into custody later that evening.
The property where he was arrested is a modern, high-end rental home in the Hollywood Hills area. Earlier in the investigation, in September 2025, LAPD detectives executed a search warrant at a nearby residence on Doheny Place, seizing computers and other items.
Burke’s defense attorneys — Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter — issued a statement asserting his innocence. “Let us be clear — 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,” the lawyers announced. “There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed. David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”
The case has drawn significant public and media attention due to Burke’s rising profile in the music industry, known for songs such as “Romantic Homicide.” A secret grand jury investigation had been underway, with details emerging earlier this year related to family objections to subpoenas in Texas.
As the investigation continues, Burke is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The District Attorney’s office has not yet announced formal charges.
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