US Singer D4vd charged with murder over teen's body found in Tesla
The US musician will face first-degree murder charges and could receive the death penalty or life in prison if convicted.
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LOS ANGELES: US Singer D4vd was charged Monday (Apr 20) with the murder and dismemberment of a teenage girl whose decomposing body was found in an abandoned Tesla in the Hollywood Hills.
The 21-year-old, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, was expected to appear in court Monday to face multiple charges over the horrifying death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose body was found in September, within days of what would have been her 15th birthday.
"These charges include the most serious charges that a DA's office can bring: that is first degree murder with special circumstances," Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman told reporters.
"The special circumstances being lying in wait, committing this crime for financial gain or murdering a witness in an investigation."
Hochman was vague, but media reporting suggested Celeste could have been a "witness" to the sex between her and Burke, and that he stood to lose financially from the exposure of that illegal relationship.
If convicted, Hochman said, Burke could face a death sentence or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Burke, who shot to internet fame in 2022 when his song "Romantic Homicide" became a breakout hit on TikTok, also faces charges over the alleged sexual relationship with Celeste, and that he cut up her body.
The teenager's corpse was discovered in separate bags in the front trunk of a Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard, where neighbours had complained of a terrible smell.
The vehicle, which was registered to Burke in Texas, had been parked on the street in the tony Hollywood Hills for around a month before it was towed.
An autopsy revealed Celeste had been dead for a considerable time before her badly decomposed body was discovered.
"The condition of her remains delayed the medical examiner's ability to be able to determine cause of death," Los Angeles police chief Jim McDonnell told the press conference.
"The substantial amount of time that passed between her death and the discovery meant that crucial evidence had degraded or disappeared.
D4vd's lawyers last week denied their client had killed the youngster.
"Let us be clear, the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez, and he was not the cause of her death," a statement from lawyers Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter said.
"We will vigorously defend David's innocence."
Celeste, who lived in Lake Elsinore, east of Los Angeles, had been reported missing by her mother in 2024, at the age of 13.
Her mother told reporters that her daughter had a boyfriend named David.
Videos show Burke has a tattoo on one of his fingers matching the one reading "Shhh" that the Los Angeles County medical examiner previously revealed was on Celeste's index finger.
The pair were also seen on streaming websites together.
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