April 20, 2026, 8:49 p.mApril 20, 2026, 8:49 p.m
Seven months after the decomposed body of a 14-year-old was found in the trunk of a car, prosecutors in Los Angeles have filed murder charges against US musician D4vd. The 21-year-old was arrested last week. District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced the three-count indictment on Monday (local time). If convicted, there is a risk of life imprisonment.
D4vd has been charged with murder.Image: keystone
The musician, whose real name is David Burke, had an abusive sexual relationship with the minor, Hochman said. He initially did not comment on the cause of death. The autopsy report is expected later. The girl was in the musician’s house in April 2025 and was no longer seen alive after that, the investigators said in a press conference.
Body parts discovered at tow yard
The case had already caused a stir in September 2025: Employees at a tow yard in Hollywood alerted the police because of a noticeable putrid smell. In the seized vehicle, registered to Burke, which had previously been reported abandoned, investigators found body parts in black bags in the trunk.
As NBC News reported, citing court documents, the body was in a severely decomposed state and had probably been in the vehicle for a long time. The girl from Lake Elsinore, around 110 kilometers southeast of Los Angeles, had been missing since April 2024.
The singer had already come into the focus of investigators months ago, and a grand jury investigation followed. According to consistent media reports, his lawyers rejected the allegations.
D4vd became internationally known with the songs “Romantic Homicide” and “Here with Me,” which went viral on Tiktok and were streamed billions of times. In 2025 he also provided the anthem for the video game “Fortnite”. (hkl/sda/dpa)