Seven months after the decomposed body of a 14-year-old girl was found in the trunk of a car, singer d4vd pleaded not guilty Monday to first-degree murder, a charge that could carry the death penalty or life in prison.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s body was found in d4vd’s abandoned Tesla in September when the car was towed to a police impound lot. The horrific discovery sparked a months-long investigation and intense scrutiny of the 21-year-old singer, culminating in his arrest last week.
But it wasn’t until Monday that prosecutors announced charges against d4vd.
Details of the case prosecutors plan to bring against the musician remain unclear. His lawyer said the evidence would prove his innocence.
Prosecutors say singer sexually abused teen for months
d4vd, His legal name is David Anthony Burke, and he is charged with special circumstances first-degree murder, persistent sexual abuse of a child under 14 and mutilation of human remains. Prosecutors say he had sex with the young girl and killed her after she threatened to reveal the affair.
D4vd made his first court appearance hours after being charged, wearing a black sweatshirt and light gray sweatpants. He did not speak and his lawyer entered the plea on his behalf.
Prosecutors said in a criminal complaint filed Monday that the musician engaged in “continuous sexual abuse” of Celeste from September 2023 to September 2024.
Musician David Anthony Burke, known professionally as d4vd, can be seen in this booking photo released on Monday. – Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office/Reuters
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Burke killed Celeste “when she threatened to expose his criminal conduct and destroy his music career.”
The cause of Celeste’s death has not been released, but prosecutors charged Burke with using a “deadly and dangerous weapon,” or a “sharp instrument.”
Hochman said in a news release that after the “horrible and gruesome murder,” Burke dismembered Celeste’s body and placed her remains in two bags in the trunk of her car.
The victim was last alive in April
Hodgman said Celeste went to the singer’s Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025. “She was never heard from again,” he said.
Blair Berk, one of d4vd’s attorneys, wrote in a statement Monday night, “The actual evidence in this case will prove that David Berk did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and was not the cause of her death. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”
Burke is part of a powerful law firm that has represented celebrity clients including Harvey Weinstein, Kanye West and Britney Spears.
She requested an early preliminary hearing.
The singer’s attorneys also said they had received “virtually no discovery relevant to the case.”
The murder charge d4vd faces contains three special circumstances: ambush, murder for financial gain and the murder of a “criminal witness.”
Hodgman said the “financial gain” was intended “to enable Mr Burke to maintain his very lucrative music career, which Celeste threatened that night”.
Additionally, Hodgman said Celeste was a witness to “lewd and lascivious sexual acts committed by Mr. Burke.”
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman speaks at a news conference Monday. – Frederick J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonald said the time lapse between the teen’s death and the discovery of his body posed a challenge for investigators.
“The considerable time that elapsed between her death and her discovery meant that key evidence had degraded or disappeared, and as detectives worked to uncover the truth, they also had to sift through and debunk the vast amount of false information being circulated publicly,” McDonald said.
A makeshift memorial with flowers, candles and stuffed animals can be seen Friday near Jamison Street in Lake Elsinore, California, honoring 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. – Arafat Barbach/Reuters
Celeste’s family has been largely out of public view since her body was discovered. Her mother, father and sister attended Monday’s arraignment but had little apparent reaction to the proceedings.
An attorney for the family said in a statement that they asked for privacy as they grieve the loss of their daughter.
“The Rivas-Hernandez family is committed to ensuring that Celeste’s voice is heard and her memory is honored throughout this process,” said Patrick Stanfield, attorney for the Rivas-Hernandez family.
Court documents released in February revealed that a grand jury had been investigating the singer in connection with Celeste’s death.
The victim disappeared three times
The charges come nearly two years after Celeste was reported missing by her family for the third and final time, capping off a series of emergency requests in early 2024 as family and friends grew concerned about the seventh-grader’s safety and whereabouts.
She was 13 at the time and was known for her gentle smile and thick curly hair.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez poses in an undated photo provided by attorneys representing the teen’s family. – Rivas Hernandez Family
In September 2025, the day after her 15th birthday, her dismembered and decomposed body was discovered in the trunk of a Tesla registered to d4vd, who was in Minneapolis on a world tour to promote his debut album Withered.
Authorities have not established a clear timeline for Celeste’s killing, although court records indicate she was 14 at the time of her death. Photos obtained by CNN show she is still alive, nearly a year after she was first reported missing.
Neighbors said the car appeared to be abandoned and parked on a street not far from the Hollywood Hills home where d4vd lived. The car was later towed away and a yard employee alerted police after noticing a strong foul odor coming from the vehicle.
On April 16, authorities arrested the singer on suspicion of killing Celeste and detained him at a Hollywood Hills residence just over a mile from the trailer park where the girl’s body was found in his car.
He is currently being held in jail without bail.
Photos released by the Los Angeles Police Department show singer d4vd arrested Thursday in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. – Los Angeles Police Department
Clues point to connection between Celeste and d4vd
Even before Celeste was reported missing, there were hints of a connection between Celeste and d4vd. In January 2024, the two appeared together in a Twitch live broadcast, joking and chatting until the early hours of the morning before d4vd, laughing and saying: “Delete everything.”
Sometime between January and March 2024, the singer was photographed stepping out of a black Tesla just blocks from Celeste’s home. A local teen later posted the images to TikTok. CNN geo-located and time-located the photos to verify when and where they were taken.
In June 2024, Celeste was photographed backstage at a sold-out d4vd show at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles. A private investigator later discovered more photos that appeared to show the two together in late December 2024 and early January 2025.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Norma Galeana, Elizabeth Wolfe, Thomas Bordeaux, Allison Gordon, Kyung Lah and Matt Friedman contributed to this report.
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