D4vd has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a teenage girl who went missing last year, police say.
In February, the musician – real name David Anthony Burke – was the target of a grand jury investigation into the apparent murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose remains were found severely decomposed in the front boot of a Tesla registered to him in September.
She was first reported missing when she was 13-years-old in April 2024, and the Tesla was found after it had been moved to an impound lot in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department later announced that the case was being treated as an “investigation into murder”.
Yesterday (Thursday April 16), the Los Angeles Police Department said they had arrested Burke “for the murder of Celeste Rivas”.
They said that he was being held without bail, and the case will be presented to the District Attorney’s office on Monday.
Defence attorneys for Burke, Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter, have since responded to the arrest in a statement: “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,” per AP News.
They added: “There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed. David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”
“The case will be presented to the District Attorney’s office on Monday for filing consideration.”
— LAPD PIO (@LAPDPIO) April 17, 2026
Up until November, investigators repeatedly declined to say whether or not they were treating it as a homicide and shared that they were awaiting a conclusion from the medical examiner. Around that same time, the victim’s exact cause of death was listed as “deferred” and a statement from police suggested that she may have died in the spring.
It was confirmed at the end of 2025 that D4vd was being considered as a suspect and while he was initially “cooperating” with the authorities, he was then being less cooperative, according to various reports.
In the wake of the investigation, the ‘Romantic Homicide’ singer cancelled his US tour and shelved plans to release a deluxe edition of his debut album ‘Withered’. His headline tour dates in Europe and the UK were later cancelled.
In October, his manager, Josh Marshall, spoke out for the first time about the investigation and denied accusations made by someone on TikTok that he was involved in the case.
Before it was confirmed that he was being considered a suspect, it was revealed that the singer had been given a parking ticket in the Hollywood Hills just under two weeks before the body was found, and residents in the area alleged that the Tesla under his name had been left in their neighbourhood for over a month.
Then, it emerged that investigators were exploring the possibility that Celeste Rivas’ body was “frozen” before being moved to the Tesla registered to D4vd.
