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Published 15:16 25 Jul 2026 GMT
A chilling court testimony has revealed that the 14-year-old girl, who was allegedly murdered and dismembered by singer-songwriter D4vd, became pregnant by him at age 13 and had an abortion.
The disturbing details emerged in the courtroom during a preliminary hearing for 21-year-old incarcerated David Anthony Burke.
Burke has pleaded not guilty to capital murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child, and mutilation of human remains.
Text messages extracted from found on the alleged murderer’s phone exposed a dark relationship between the musician and the young victim, Celeste Rivas Hernandez. In a conversation from early January 2024, when Celeste was just 13 years old, Burke apologized for "putting her through this".
Celeste replied: “It’s okay… neither of us are capable of watching and taking care of the baby. It’s for the best no?”
When Burke bluntly asked the child if the baby was his, she confirmed, “Of course it’s yours, David.”
The messages shown to the jury also proved the emotional impact that the alleged abortion had on the teenager.
Months later, she tragically texted Burke that she regretted taking the "innocent life of a literal baby," adding in another text, "i care abt u i killed my kid [for] you."
Prosecutors claim that Burke allegedly began sexually abusing Celeste when she was 13 and he was 18.
Burke allegedly fatally stabbed the teenager in April 2025 after she threatened to expose their illegal relationship, which would have ruined his reputation and career.
The court also heard a horrifying account of what happened after Celeste was killed. Reportedly, Burke dismembered the victim’s body in his garage using a chainsaw inside an inflatable pool to catch the blood.
He then allegedly stuffed her remains into bags and hid them in the front trunk of his Tesla.
The vehicle sat abandoned for months before it was towed to a Hollywood impound lot, where the poor girl’s remains were found in a gruesome state.
In September 2025, workers reported a foul odor of decay leading police to discover Celeste's dismembered, severely decomposed remains on the day after what would have been her 15th birthday.
During the hearing, LAPD Detective Corey Farrell described the more than three dozen sexually explicit photographs of Celeste recovered from Burke's phone.
Understandably, the graphic nature of the evidence was too much for Celeste’s grieving parents, who broke down in tears and were escorted out of the courtroom.
Shockingly, Burke’s defense team is trying to prove his innocence, arguing that the autopsy results remain inconclusive regarding the exact timeline and circumstances of her death. If convicted, Burke faces life in prison without parole or possibly even the death penalty.
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Published 09:37 21 Apr 2026 GMT
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Published 09:40 30 Apr 2026 GMT
Disturbing new revelations have emerged about how alt-pop singer D4vd, whose real name is David Burke, allegedly groomed, killed, and dismembered 14-year-old Celeste Rivas.
According to legal documents obtained by The Los Angeles Times, on April 23, 2025, Burke reportedly ordered an Uber to pick up Rivas from her family home in Lake Elsinore and deliver her to his Hollywood Hills residence.
Once there, prosecutors allege that the singer fatally stabbed the young victim, leaving her to bleed out as he stood by, per The New York Post.
The following day, the 'Sleep Well' singer allegedly ordered a shovel from Home Depot, which was delivered to his home via Postmates.
Within the week, he purchased two chainsaws from Amazon, using a fake name, Victoria Mendez, and on May 5, he allegedly ordered a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags, and a blue inflatable pool.
Investigators claim that Burke used the pool to contain Rivas’ blood, preventing it from staining his garage floor while he allegedly dismembered her body using chainsaws and possibly other tools.
Fragments of plastic embedded in Rivas' remains were later linked to the pool Burke purchased.
In another alarming detail, Burke allegedly amputated Rivas’ left ring and pinky fingers because her ring finger contained a tattoo of his name. These fingers were never recovered, per court filings.
The musician and Rivas allegedly met in January 2022 when Rivas was only 11 years old.
By November 2023, when Rivas was 13 and Burke was 18, investigators say they began a sexual relationship.
The late victim was reported missing by her family in February 2024, long before her alleged murder.
Detectives later discovered Burke’s phone number in her contacts, and when questioned, he claimed he was unaware that she was a minor or that she had been reported missing.
Despite being told that Rivas was underage, Burke allegedly continued to pursue her, even driving to Lake Elsinore to pay a classmate of Rivas’ $1,000 to deliver a new phone to her.
Text messages reportedly obtained by detectives suggest that their sexual relationship continued well into 2025.
Police also found a "significant" amount of child pornography on Burke’s iPhone.
Prosecutors believe that the 'Here With Me' artist killed the 14-year-old to protect his music career. Burke allegedly feared that Rivas would expose their relationship, which could destroy his fame.
Rivas’ dismembered body was found in the trunk of a Tesla owned by Burke on September 8, 2025, but it took several months for investigators to determine the cause of death, which was confirmed as “multiple penetrating injuries".
In addition to first-degree murder, Burke faces special circumstances charges, including lying in wait, murder for financial gain, and murder of a witness to an investigation.
As the case unfolds, renewed attention has turned to D4vd’s breakout song 'Romantic Homicide'.
In a 2022 interview on Genius, Burke revealed his favorite line from the song: "'Enlighten me, my dear,' is my favorite line because you can take so many different meanings out of it and it's an emotion in itself."
He described how important the poetic aspect of his music was to him. "I think that's what poetry is; it's like an interpretation, and another person can read the same thing and take something else out of it and find new things every time," he said.
"So I think that's an important part of my process is definitely the poetry aspect of it. And all of my songs, I think, are poetry," he added.
Now, in light of the ongoing investigation, the song’s lyrics seem to take on a chilling new meaning.
"This is actually terrifying," one user commented, while another said: "It's so terrifying how he's explaining it so calmly, the way he looks at the camera while singing it's very unsettling."
Burke has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday.
He is currently being held in the Twin Towers jail in downtown Los Angeles.
Rivas' family has expressed their devastation over the loss in a statement issued by their attorney, Patrick Steinfeld: "The Rivas Hernandez family is absolutely devastated by the findings contained in the Medical Examiner’s Report involving the horrible and gruesome death of their beloved daughter."
Music artist D4vd has been charged with first-degree murder over the death of teenager Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
Los Angeles Police Department made the shocking discovery of the 14-year-old's remains in the trunk of a car in an impound, responding to reports of a "foul smell" coming from a Tesla.
Authorities found that the car belonged to D4vd, real name David Anthony Burke, with a months-long investigation being opened into the artist.
The teenager was reported missing in April 2025, visiting Burke's Hollywood home "never to be seen again," according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
He further confirmed that Burke was charged with Rivas' "brutal and horrific murder."
Burke, 21, had been arrested last week, and his defence team entered his plea on his behalf on Monday (April 20).
Riva's dismembered body was found in the front trunk of a Tesla back in September, with the vehicle being registered to D4vd.
Authorities discovered a bag that contained a head and torso, in addition to another bag with several body parts inside, say court documents.
It is believed that the teenager was in a relationship with the artist, with speculation running wild in the months since about what happened to the young teen.
Investigators and fans have been quick to analyze D4vd's lyrics, behavior, and actions before her disappearance.
Rivas' cause of death has not been officially revealed.
Hochman revealed that there are three sets of charges against the artist - the first is first-degree murder with special circumstances of "lying in wait," according to the BBC.
The second is to do with special circumstances of alleged murder for "financial gain," while the third charge is to do with murdering a witness to an investigation, as Hochman said that Rivas was a witness in an investigation of sexual acts made by Burke.
The DA's office may seek the death penalty in these circumstances, as Hochman stated: "A parent's nightmare is a situation where your daughter goes out one night and never comes back."
Hochman had accused Burke of murdering the 14-year-old Rivas to maintain his status in the music industry, adding "that Celeste was threatening on that particular night".
ABC7 reported that this was revealed for the first time on Monday, as reporters explained: "LAPD detectives believe that this was a way for David Burke to keep Celeste Rivas quiet,
"That they are saying that because she was about at a time when he was beginning a world tour, when his fame was going up, he was doing interviews around the world."
Adding that he was on his ascent, they suggested: "He wanted to keep her quiet and not reveal a relationship had been going on between the two of them when she was underage."
The allegation was that she was going to expose him, leading to the artist taking action, but his team has denied this and claimed that the artist had nothing to do with her death.
TMZ has obtained video footage of D4vd's arrest, which reveals a tense situation where authorities were heard telling him to "surrender."
The artist would be taken to an LA detention facility, as LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division chief Captain Scot M. Williams said: “We came to the home with a probable cause arrest warrant for him,
“We did the best we can to keep tabs on him, but once we developed probable cause to arrest him for murder, then we were on him pretty diligently.”
The Rivas family said in a statement to CBS News that they are "committed to ensuring that Celeste's voice is heard and her memory is honored throughout this process".
Representing the singer in court are Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter, all of whom have promised to ‘vigorously defend’ his innocence.
In a previous statement, they said: “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.”
“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.”
They claim that he has been cooperating with authorities since the investigation began, even cancelling his tour following the discovery of the body.
D4vd is known for his indie-pop songs such as "Feel It" and "Romantic Homicide," building his career up after finding initial success as a teenager.
Published 09:53 25 Apr 2026 GMT
The moment D4vd revealed his favorite line in his song 'Romantic Homicide' has resurfaced amid the recent release of the cause of death for the teenage girl he is charged with killing.
The case surrounding alt-pop singer D4vd has taken another grim turn after authorities confirmed the cause of death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez as "penetrating injuries."
An autopsy report released Wednesday, April 22, found the teen died from multiple penetrating injuries after months of delay, with prosecutors this week moving to unseal findings that had been held back by court order. The Los Angeles County medical examiner had determined in December that her death was a homicide, but details were only now made public.
The 21-year-old singer, whose legal name is David Burke, was charged Monday, April 20, with first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14, and mutilating a dead body. He has pleaded not guilty, while his attorneys insist he did not cause Celeste’s death and say they will vigorously defend his innocence.
According to the autopsy, Celeste suffered significant wounds to her torso believed to have been caused by a sharp object, with one wound penetrating her liver.
“After several months, I am grateful this information can now be released, not only to the public, but also to the grieving family enduring loss,” the medical examiner, Dr Odey C Ukpo, said in a statement. “It is unfathomable they have had to wait this long to learn what happened to their daughter.”
Police found the teen’s dismembered and decomposed remains in September in bags in the trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke and abandoned in the Hollywood Hills. The condition of her remains delayed the determination of a cause of death, Los Angeles police chief Jim McDonnell said earlier this week.
The report also detailed that her body had degraded so severely examiners could not determine her eye color. She had braces at the time of death and a tattoo reading “Shhh….” on the inside of a finger. Two fingers and parts of her arms and legs were missing.
Nathan Hochman, the LA district attorney, said Burke engaged in a sexual relationship with Celeste and alleged she went to his home on 23 April 2025 and was never heard from again.
Prosecutors claim he killed the teen because she threatened to report the relationship, which they allege began when she was 13, and he feared it would destroy his rising career.
The murder charge includes special circumstances alleging lying in wait, killing for financial gain to maintain his “lucrative” career, and murdering a witness to an investigation. A criminal complaint alleges he killed her with a sharp object and dismembered her body about two weeks later.
As the allegations have sent shockwaves through fans, renewed attention has also turned to a resurfaced video from November 2022, where D4vd discussed the lyrics behind his breakout song 'Romantic Homicide'.
In a YouTube video with Genius, the singer broke down each verse of the track and revealed his favorite line from the song.
He said at the time: “‘Enlighten me, my dear’ is my favorite line because you can take so many different meanings out of it and it's an emotion in itself. Everything has a meaning behind it.
"I think that's what poetry is; it's like an interpretation and another person can read the same thing and take something else out of it and find new things every time. So I think that's an important part of my process is definitely the poetry aspect of it. And all of my songs, I think, are poetry.”
Those comments have resurfaced in a far darker light as the criminal case moves forward and scrutiny around the singer intensifies.
Published 13:24 18 Sep 2025 GMT
Authorities in Los Angeles have launched a murder investigation after the decomposing body of a missing teenager was discovered in a car.
The vehicle was registered to rising U.S. music star D4vd.
The shocking discovery has since sparked online speculation over eerie lyrical parallels in his songs.
On September 8, officers were called to a Hollywood tow yard after staff reported a foul smell coming from a Tesla parked there, as reported by BBC News.
Inside the trunk, police found the remains of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas, who had been reported missing since April 5, 2024.
Rivas, from Lake Elsinore, California, was just 13 when she disappeared.
A missing person flyer described her as 5ft 3ins tall, weighing 120 pounds, with brown eyes and dark brown hair. She was last seen wearing grey pants, a black sweater, a hat, and Hello Kitty sandals.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner later confirmed the remains belonged to Rivas, noting she was about 5ft 2in tall with wavy black hair.
She was found wearing a tube top and black leggings. Officials also noted she had a tattoo on her right index finger that read: “Shhh.”
Law enforcement sources told NBC News the body was not intact and appeared to have been dead for an extended period.
The Tesla, which has a Texas license plate, had been towed from the Hollywood Hills five days earlier before being impounded. Records show it was registered to 20-year-old singer David Anthony Burke, professionally known as D4vd.
Burke, who is best known for viral hits Here With Me and Romantic Homicide, was on his Withered tour at the time.
A scheduled performance in Seattle on September 17 was cancelled, and reports say he has since returned to Los Angeles.
Police have stressed that he has not been charged with any crime.
As news of the case spread, fans began revisiting d4vd’s lyrics. One unreleased track, reportedly leaked on SoundCloud, is allegedly titled 'Celeste'.
In it, he sings: "Oh, Celeste / The girl with my name tattooed on her chest / Smell her on my clothes like cigarettes / I hear her voice each time I take a breath / I’m obsessed."
The song continues: "Afraid you'll only love me when undressed / But you look so damn gorgeous in that dress / Missing you so much makes me depressed / But I digress, because..."
Observers also noted the “Shhh” tattoo Celeste had matches one Burke himself was pictured with in September last year, according to TMZ.
Authorities say the cause and time of Rivas’ death remain undetermined, but they believe she may have been deceased for a long period before being discovered.
Police have confirmed that D4vd is cooperating.
Published 06:29 17 Apr 2026 GMT
D4vd has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the body of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas was found in the trunk of his Tesla.
The 21-year-old has been at the center of the investigation into her death for months, but was finally arrested earlier today.
The dismembered body of the 14-year-old, who was believed to have been in a relationship with D4vd, was found in the front trunk of a Tesla car belonging to the musician back in September.
Since then, speculation has been rife about what happened to the young girl, with scrutiny placed on D4vd’s lyrics, behavior, and actions in the time leading up to her disappearance.
Now, the rapper - real name David Anthony Burke - has been brought into custody and charged with her killing.
Video footage, obtained by TMZ, shows a tense scene leading up to the arrest, according to a neighbor, cops yelled ‘surrender’ at D4vd while asking him to come out of his house.
After the arrest, he was taken to a Los Angeles detention facility where he is being held without bail.
LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division chief Captain Scot M. WIlliams said: “We came to the home with a probable cause arrest warrant for him,
“We did the best we can to keep tabs on him, but once we developed probable cause to arrest him for murder, then we were on him pretty diligently.”
It was on September 8 last year when a Tesla belonging to the Texas-born rapper was found abandoned in a yard.
Police arrived to investigate a bad smell emanating from the car and made the grisly discovery of a dismembered corpse.
Investigators also found a bag that contained a head and torso, as well as a second bag with various body parts inside, according to court documents.
Celeste’s cause of death has not yet been revealed.
She went missing in April 2024 when she was just 13-years-old, with her parents claiming she went out to watch a movie and was never seen again.
Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter will represent the singer in court, and have promised to ‘vigorously defend’ his innocence.
In a statement, they said: “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.”
“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.”
His team claim he has been cooperating with investigators since the start of this Grand Jury investigation, having cancelled his tour in the aftermath of the discovery of the body.
The footage showing his arrest is the first time he has been seen in public since.
The rapper - famous for songs such as Romantic Homicide - shot to fame in recent years for his music, but also for his livestreaming.
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