Singer D4vd pleads not guilty in murder case while switching to public defender
Singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges stemming from the death of a 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered and decomposing remains were found in the trunk of his Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard.
Prosecutors allege that Burke killed Hernandez after she threatened to expose their illegal relationship and damage his music career.
The 21-year-old singer appeared in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Monday morning and stated he had parted ways with his legal defense team and instead wished to be represented by a public defender.
Burke’s new public defender asked that the arraignment be postponed, but a judge rejected the request. The singer’s attorney then entered a not guilty plea. Burke is due back in court Oct. 19 for a status conference.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo found sufficient evidence following more than four days of sometimes-graphic testimony during a hearing in July to allow the case against Burke to proceed to trial.
Burke was charged on April 20 with capital murder in the 2025 death of Hernandez, along with the special circumstance allegations of lying in wait, murder for financial gain and killing a witness in a criminal investigation.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has not yet announced whether it will seek the death penalty against Burke, who was arrested April 16 by Los Angeles Police Department officers and remains jailed without bail.
Burke is also charged with one count each of continuous sexual abuse of a child under age 14 and mutilation of human remains.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the lying-in-wait allegation stems from D4vd’s invitation to the teen to come to his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, while the financial gain allegation stems from the singer’s effort to maintain his lucrative music career, which was being threatened by his relationship with Hernandez.
Hernandez was considered the key witness in the investigation into Burke’s alleged sexual activity with the underage girl, leading to the allegation of murdering a witness, the district attorney said.
The teen’s body was found last Sept. 8, just days after what would have been her 15th birthday, according to a court filing from the prosecution, which noted that the vehicle had been towed three days earlier while parked about 400 feet from his Hollywood Hills home.
The defense lawyer argued that Burke had “repeatedly expressed his love and care” for the girl even after they broke up and that there was no evidence Burke had ever stated he intended to harm her.
Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman countered there was “nothing about this case that sounds like an accident” and the teen was “obviously dead” within 20 minutes of being dropped off by an Uber driver at Burke’s rented Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025.
“We have an underage minor who was threatening to expose this relationship,” Silverman told the judge, arguing later that the defense has tried to “dirty up” the girl.
