Singer D4vd pleads not guilty to murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez

The 21-year-old musician faces first-degree murder and other charges after remains were found in his Tesla.

Singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, pleaded not guilty on Monday to first-degree murder and additional charges in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered remains were discovered in September inside a Tesla registered to the musician¹².

Burke, 21, faces charges including first-degree murder, lewd acts with a minor, and mutilation of a body¹. The charges include special circumstances of lying in wait, committing a crime for financial gain, and murdering a witness in an investigation, making him eligible for life without parole or the death penalty¹². Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said prosecutors would decide later whether to seek the death penalty¹².

Defence attorney Blair Berk entered the not-guilty plea on Burke's behalf during the arraignment in Los Angeles Superior Court and requested a preliminary hearing be held as soon as possible². "We believe the actual evidence will show David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez, nor was he the cause of her death," Berk said². Judge Theresa McGonigle ordered that no bail be set for Burke, who remains in custody².

Rivas Hernandez's decomposed and dismembered body was discovered in September in the front boot of a Tesla registered to Burke, according to Los Angeles police chief Jim McDonnell². The remains were separated into two bags, and the vehicle had been parked for weeks in a Hollywood Hills neighbourhood². Rivas Hernandez had been missing for nearly a year and a half when the remains were found². She had disappeared in 2024, when she was 13¹.

Authorities allege that Rivas Hernandez, who was 14 at the time of her death, could have given testimony about sex crime allegations against Burke¹. Burke was arrested at a home in Hollywood on Thursday and is being held without bail¹.