Seven months after the decomposing body of a 14-year-old girl was found in the trunk of his car, singer d4vd pleaded not guilty Monday to first-degree murder, a charge that carries a possible sentence of death or life in prison.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s remains were found in September in d4vd’s apparently abandoned Tesla after the car was pulled into a police compound yard. The shocking discovery sparked a months-long investigation and intense scrutiny of the 21-year-old singer, which culminated in his arrest last week.
But it wasn’t until Monday that prosecutors announced charges against d4vd.
Details about the case prosecutors plan to file against the musician are unclear. His lawyers say the evidence shows he is innocent.
Prosecutors say the singer sexually assaulted the teenager for months
D4vd, David Anthony Burke, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, was charged with first-degree murder under special circumstances, repeated sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and mutilation of human remains. Prosecutors say he killed the girl after he had sex with her and threatened to expose her.
D4vd made his first appearance in court hours after being charged wearing a black sweatshirt and light gray sweatpants. He did not speak and his lawyers entered a plea on his behalf.
The musician engaged in “continuous sexual abuse” of Celeste from September 2023 to September 2024, prosecutors allege in a criminal complaint filed Monday.
David Anthony Burke, the musician known professionally as d4vd, appears in this booking photo released Monday. – Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office / Reuters
L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Berkley killed Celeste “after he threatened to expose her criminal conduct and destroy her music career.”
The cause of Celeste’s death has not been released, but prosecutors have accused Burke of using a “deadly and dangerous weapon,” namely, a “sharp instrument.”
After the “horrific and gruesome murder,” Hochman said in a news release, Burke dismembered Celeste’s body and placed her remains in two bags in the front trunk of his car.
The victim was last known to be alive in April
Celeste visited the singer’s home in the Hollywood Hills on April 23, 2025, Hochman said. “He was never heard from again,” he said.
In a statement Monday evening, Blair Burke — an attorney for d4vd — wrote, “The factual evidence in this case shows that David Burke did not kill Celeste Rivas Hernandez and that he did not cause her death. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”
Burke is part of a high-powered law firm that has represented Harvey Weinstein, Kanye West and Britney Spears, among other celebrity clients.
He requested a preliminary hearing as soon as possible.
The singer’s lawyers also said they had “almost no discovery” related to the case.
The murder charge d4vd faces three special circumstances: lying in wait, killing for financial gain and killing a “witness to the crime”.
The “financial gain” situation “was for Mr. Burke to maintain his very lucrative music career that Celeste was threatening that night,” Hochman said.
In addition, Celeste “witnessed a lewd and lascivious sexual act by Mr. Burke,” Hochman said.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman speaks at a press conference Monday. – Frederick J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images
According to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell, the time between the teenager’s death and the discovery of her body has presented a challenge to investigators.
“The considerable amount of time that had passed between her death and the discovery meant that important evidence was reduced or lost, and as detectives worked to uncover the truth, they also had to sift through a great deal of false information that had been disseminated to the public,” McDonnell said.
A makeshift memorial honoring Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 14, with flowers, candles and stuffed toys is seen Friday near Jamieson Street in Lake Elsinore, California. – Arafat Barbakh / Reuters
Since Celeste’s body was found, her family has largely stayed out of the public eye. His mother, father and sister attended Monday’s arraignment and had little visible reaction to the proceedings.
In a statement, the family’s attorney said they had asked for privacy in mourning the loss of their daughter.
“The Rivas Hernandez family is committed to ensuring that Celeste’s voice is heard and that her memory is honored in the process,” said family attorney Patrick Steinfeld.
Court documents released in February indicate the singer is being investigated by a grand jury in connection with Celeste’s death.
The victim was reported missing three times
The charges come nearly two years after the third — and final — time Celeste was reported missing by her family, capping a series of urgent pleas in early 2024 as loved ones and friends grew increasingly concerned about the safety and whereabouts of the seventh-grader.
She was 13 at the time – a teenager remembered in photos for her soft smile and thick, curly hair.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez poses in an unidentified photo provided by a lawyer representing the teenager’s family. – The Rivas Hernandez family
In September 2025, one day after her 15th birthday, her dismembered and decomposed body was found in the trunk of a Tesla registered to d4vd while in Minneapolis on a world tour promoting her debut album, “Dried”.
Authorities have not established a clear timeline for when Celeste was killed, although court records show she was 14 at the time of her death. Photos obtained by CNN showed her alive nearly a year after she disappeared.
Neighbors say the car appears abandoned, parked on the street not far from the Hollywood Hills home where d4vd lived. It was later towed, and a yard worker alerted police after noticing a strong, foul smell coming from the vehicle.
Authorities arrested the singer on April 16 on suspicion of murdering Celeste and took him into custody at a Hollywood Hills residence about a mile from Toyard, where the girl’s body was found inside his car.
He is in jail without bail.
Photos posted by the Los Angeles Police Department show the operation that led to the arrest of singer d4vd in the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez on Thursday. – LAPD
The clue points to a connection between Celeste and d4vd
Clues indicating a connection between Celeste and d4vd surfaced even before she was reported missing. In January 2024, the two appeared together in a livestream on Twitch, talking early in the morning before d4vd, saying with a laugh: “Delete everything.”
Between January and March 2024, the singer was photographed getting out of a black Tesla not far from Celeste’s home. A local teenager later posted the pictures on TikTok. CNN geolocated and chronolocated the photos to verify when and where they were taken.
In June 2024, Celeste was photographed backstage at d4vd, a sold-out show performed at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles. A private investigator later discovered additional images showing the two together in late December 2024 and early January 2025.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Norma Galliana, Elizabeth Wolfe, Thomas Bordo, Alison Gordon, Kyung Lah, and Matt Friedman contributed to this report.
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