David Anthony Burke, known as D4vd, on April 20, 2026 in Los Angeles, USA – four days after his arrest.Image: keystone
The US musician D4vd is targeted by investigators after a dead minor was found in his car. While clues and allegations mounted, it remained unclear for a long time what exactly happened.
April 23, 2026, 4:47 p.mApril 23, 2026, 5:16 p.m
US musician D4vd is responsible for a “horrific and horrific” murder of minor Celeste Rivas Hernandez, according to the Los Angeles district attorney.
But by the time the murder charge was brought, seven months had passed since the body was found – despite numerous clues and an autopsy report.
Why did the investigation take so long and what exactly is the singer accused of? The most important findings on the D4vd case at a glance.
This is David Anthony Burke
David Anthony Burke, D4vd’s full name, was born in New York in 2005. He grew up in a Christian household in Houston, Texas. At the beginning of 2020, he began streaming the game “Fortnite” and posting videos on YouTube. He also makes music. Two years later, he achieved his breakthrough as a singer when his single “Romantic Homicide” went viral on TikTok. The single has now been streamed 1.8 billion times on Spotify, and D4vd has a total of 22.4 million monthly listeners on the platform.
In 2023, D4vd was an opener for the American singer SZA. In August 2025 he started his own tour, with dates planned in America, Europe, Australia and South America. However, the tour came to a quick end when it emerged on September 8th that the badly decomposed and dismembered body of a minor – Celeste Rivas Hernandez – was found in his Tesla. As a result, numerous tour dates were canceled, including a planned concert at the Zurich club X-tra.
US singer D4vd performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in the summer of 2024. Image: keystone
Many of the 21-year-old’s fans are convinced that he is obsessed with death. So he always held a kind of funeral at concerts, including coffins laid out and books of condolence.
Burke repeatedly stages violence in his songs – and also takes up the topic in his merch. After the body was found, D4vd removed a controversial fan article entitled “Bloody Shirt” from its official website in September last year.
He is accused of that
On April 16, 2026, the musician was arrested on suspicion of killing Celeste, then 14 years old. Her body was found in a Tesla registered to D4vd.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has officially filed charges against the singer. Burke is accused of having murdered the girl “treacherously”, out of greed and to cover up another crime.
Burke was arrested a week ago.Image: keystone
The musician had an abusive sexual relationship with the minor, Hochman said. When the girl wanted to expose his criminal behavior and thereby threatened to destroy Burke’s music career, the singer allegedly committed the murder, dismembered the body and stowed it in his car.
Burke’s legal team reiterated his innocence in a statement released the same day. “The actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and was not the cause of her death,” the letter said. “David was only arrested on suspicion. We will defend David’s innocence with all our might.”
This is Celeste Rivas Hernandez
Celeste Rivas Hernandez would be 15 years old today – she was discovered in the trunk of the Tesla the day after her 15th birthday. But at that point she had already been dead for a long time, officials said.
She lived in Lake Elsinore, about 120 kilometers from Hollywood. According to the online portal TMZ The police repeatedly followed up on tips about the teenager’s attempts to run away. A “broken parental home” caused her to run away from home several times.
A memorial to Celeste Rivas Hernandez in Lake Elsinore, her hometown.Image: keystone
In April 2024, Celeste was reported missing again by her family. On April 23, Hochman wrote, she went to Bruke’s house in the Hollywood Hills BBC. After that she was never seen alive again.
That is the cause of death
Forensics determined the teenager’s cause of death on December 9, 2025. An autopsy revealed that Celeste died as a result of multiple stab wounds. The report classified the death as a homicide.
The minor had stab wounds on her stomach and chest, writes BBC, citing the autopsy report. Her body was found in a black zipper bag.
That’s why it took so long for D4vd to be arrested
The investigators assume that the girl was killed long before the body was found. After the discovery, more than seven months passed before Burke was arrested.
Initially, the case was not officially treated as a homicide. Authorities were allowed to keep the autopsy results under wraps while the investigation continued.
The chief forensic pathologist Dr. Odey Ukpo had criticized this. Now that the autopsy report has been made public, he says:
“I am grateful that this information can now be released after several months, not only for the public but also for the grieving family who must endure this loss. It’s unbelievable that they had to wait so long to find out what happened to their daughter.”
Today Celeste would be 15 years old.Image: keystone
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell defended his department’s actions. “We had to be sure that nothing we did or said would ever jeopardize this case.” It is a case “where you have to collect as much information as possible.”
He added that the condition of the teenager’s body had delayed the determination of her cause of death as a “significant amount of time” had passed between her death and the discovery of her body. As a result, evidence was damaged or disappeared.
Hochman also pointed to problems in the case that had caused delays. When asked by the BBC, he explained difficulties in interviewing numerous people, some of whom were uncooperative.
There was this evidence
Celeste’s mother told TMZ that she immediately feared that the body found was her daughter. She also knew that Celeste was in a relationship with a guy named David at the time of her disappearance.
The public also collected evidence. Numerous photos and videos showing Burke and Celeste together circulated online. Both had the same tattoo – the words “Shhh” – on their finger.
Users also pointed out a song by D4vd that leaked in 2023 and was about a person named Celeste. The lyrics say that he is obsessed with her. Discord messages also allegedly show that the two met in early 2022. Celeste was eleven years old at the time.
This is what threatens D4vd now
The singer is accused of several crimes, including murder, in connection with Celeste’s death. According to consistent US reports, D4vd faces the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole. It is still unclear whether the public prosecutor will seek the possible maximum sentence.