Los Angeles County prosecutors have begun laying out an overwhelming mountain of physical, digital, and forensic evidence against 21-year-old indie-pop artist D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke. Charged with first-degree murder, child sexual abuse, and unlawful mutilation of human remains in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, Burke faces potential capital punishment or life in prison without parole. Court documents and evidentiary hearings reveal a chilling timeline driven by panic, extortion threats, and an obsession with preserving a skyrocketing music career.
What began as a viral success story born on gaming platforms transformed into one of the most horrific crime cases in modern music history.
A Papertrail Built on App Deliveries and Digital Breadcrumbs
The primary evidence presented by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Major Crimes Division reads like an unchecked shopping list for a nightmare. Investigators uncovered an extensive digital record tracking Burke’s movements and purchases immediately following the alleged April 23, 2025 disappearance of Rivas Hernandez.
Rather than subtle maneuvering, prosecutors allege Burke left behind direct transactional footprints.
- April 24, 2025: A Postmates order delivered a heavy-duty shovel directly from Home Depot to Burke’s rented Hollywood Hills residence.
- May 2, 2025: An Amazon transaction placed under an alias, yet delivered to Burke’s residence, contained two high-powered chainsaws.
- May 6, 2025: Subsequent e-commerce orders delivered a commercial cadaver bag, heavy-duty industrial laundry bags, and a blue inflatable wading pool.
Surveillance footage captured an Uber ride hailed by Burke to transport the victim from Lake Elsinore to his Hollywood home late on April 23. Minutes after her arrival, cellular data from Rivas Hernandez’s phone went completely dark forever.
Dismemberment in the Hollywood Hills
Court filings detail how prosecutors believe Burke managed the scene inside his residence. To avoid staining the garage floor, the prosecution alleges Burke placed the girl’s body inside the inflatable wading pool before using chainsaws and other cutting implements to sever her head and limbs.
During a court-ordered search warrant executed at the Hollywood property, police forensic units discovered microscopic traces of blood matching the victim's DNA, alongside shredded pieces of blue plastic matching the exact materials of the inflatable pool ordered weeks prior.
Perhaps most damning is the detail surrounding two missing fingers from the victim's left hand. Prosecutors noted that the 14-year-old had recently tattooed Burke’s name onto her ring finger. Those specific digits were surgically removed and have never been recovered.
Four Months in an Abandoned Vehicle
For nearly four months, the victim's dismembered remains sat sealed in two industrial cadaver bags inside the front storage trunk of Burke's 2023 Tesla Model Y. Throughout the summer of 2025, Burke continued living at the property, brushing off complaints from neighbors, guests, and associates who reported a overpowering odor of decay coming from the driveway.
Burke allegedly sent text messages to the victim's dead phone number throughout May and June, asking where she was, a tactic prosecutors describe as an intentional effort to create a false trail of concern.
In late July 2025, surveillance cameras captured Burke driving the Tesla around the block, parking it on a side street near his house, and leaving for his scheduled concert tour. Weeks later, the vehicle was towed as an abandoned property. On September 8, 2025, tow yard operators alerted authorities after noticing swarms of flies and an unbearable stench. Responding officers opened the front trunk to uncover the horrific discovery.
The Motive and the Defense Pushback
The prosecution’s narrative hinges on self-preservation and financial gain. Having met Rivas Hernandez when she was 11 and initiating a sexual relationship when she was 13 and he was 18, Burke faced devastating criminal exposure.
Shortly before her death, text messages reveal the teenager grew volatile and threatened to go public with explicit photos, details of their relationship, and claims of forced pregnancy terminations. With a major label debut album launching that very week and millions of dollars in corporate endorsements on the line, prosecutors contend Burke acted deliberately to eliminate the witness.
Defense attorney Blair Berk has pushed back forcefully against the state's narrative, arguing that the filings represent a aggressive, one-sided summary designed to poison potential jurors. The defense maintains that Burke did not kill Rivas Hernandez nor cause her death, promising that independent medical examiner testimony will challenge the prosecution's timeline and cause-of-death assertions.
As the preliminary evidentiary hearing unfolds in Los Angeles Superior Court, the judge will determine whether the prosecution's physical record constitutes sufficient probable cause to bind the former streaming sensation over for a capital murder trial.
