Prosecutors say singer D4vd stabbed 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez to death to silence her
Apr 29, 2026, 2:52 PM
In this courtroom sketch, David Anthony Burke, whose stage name is D4vd, is seen in court Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Los Angeles on charges of killing a 14-year-old girl whose dismembered body was found in his car. (Bill Robles via AP)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(Bill Robles via AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors said Wednesday that singer D4vd killed 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez by stabbing her multiple times.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office shared what they said the evidence would show in a document filed Wednesday outlining their plan for a forthcoming preliminary evidentiary hearing in the case.
It said D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, met Rivas Hernandez when she was 11, began a sexual relationship with her when she was 13 and he was 18, and killed her when she threatened to reveal their inappropriate relationship.
“Knowing he had to silence the victim before she ruined his music career as she had threatened, very soon after her arrival at his home, defendant stabbed the victim to death multiple times and stood by while she bled out.”
Prosecutors had not previously described how they believed Rivas Hernandez was killed or given details on their relationship. An autopsy report said she was killed by penetrating wounds.
Burke has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other counts. His lawyers have said he is innocent and did not cause Rivas Hernandez’s death.
The defense attorneys asked Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo at a hearing Wednesday to seal the document, but she declined. They had no comment outside court.
