US musician D4vd has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a teenage girl who vanished last year, officials say.
The star, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, is accused of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose decomposing remains were found in September in a Tesla registered to his Texas address.
Burke, 21, also was charged with murder for financial gain and with murder of a witness to an investigation, the Los Angeles district attorney said.
In a statement after his arrest last week, his lawyers said 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.
The Los Angeles County DA's office confirmed that D4vd is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in downtown Los Angeles, and cannot comment on grand jury investigations.
During a press conference, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated that on 23 April 2025, Rivas Hernandez went to Burke's house in the Hollywood Hills and she was never heard from again.
Her dismembered and decomposed remains were found on 8 September 2025 - when the investigation first began - in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke.
A parent's nightmare is a situation where your daughter goes out one night and never comes back, Hochman said, announcing three sets of charges against the singer.
The first is first-degree murder with special circumstances of lying in wait. The second is an additional special circumstance of alleged murder for financial gain. Hochman accused Burke of murdering the 14-year-old to maintain his lucrative musical career that Celeste was threatening on that particular night.
The third charge is murdering a witness to an investigation, with evidence showing Rivas Hernandez was a witness in an investigation of sexual acts committed by Burke. Hochman added that the charges involve numerous sexual acts with a minor and the mutilation of a body.
The DA's office could eventually seek the death penalty in the case.
Burke remains in custody without bail after his arrest on Thursday.
D4vd, who released his debut album in April, was on tour when the remains were discovered and subsequently canceled his world tour.
