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Singer D4vd charged with murder over teen's body found in Tesla

Los Angeles district attorney says if convicted, Burke could face a death sentence or life in prison without possibility of parole

By AFP
April 20, 2026
Rapper David Burke, who goes by the stage name d4vd, performs at the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Indio, California, April 11, 2025. — AFP
Rapper David Burke, who goes by the stage name d4vd, performs at the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Indio, California, April 11, 2025. — AFP

Singer D4vd was charged Monday 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, days after 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 are lying in wait, committing this crime for financial gain or murdering a witness in an investigation."

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 that he repeatedly had sex with Celeste -- who disappeared from her family home when she was 13 -- and that he cut up her body.