US4 min(s) read
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."
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