LOS ANGELES (TCN) — New details regarding the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez were released on April 29 in a court filing.
Singer David Burke, 21, known professionally as D4vd, was charged with the murder of the teen on April 20. Her dismembered, decomposed body was found inside the singer’s abandoned Tesla in September 2025. In addition to first-degree murder, Burke was charged with continuous sexual acts, lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14 years old, and mutilating a human body. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
On April 29, Burke appeared in front of a judge, and a prosecution legal brief revealed more details about Burke’s alleged role in Rivas Hernandez’s death, as well as the timeline, according to KABC.
According to the document, Rivas Hernandez met Burke when she was 11 years old and they allegedly started having sex when she was 13. Deputies reportedly visited Burke after his phone number was found in Rivas Hernandez’s phone records; she had been reported missing by her family.
When deputies arrived at Burke’s home, they reportedly told Burke Rivas Hernandez’s age. He allegedly denied knowing it and said he had only spoken to her once. Rivas Hernandez then returned to her family’s home.
According to the filing, Burke allegedly went to Lake Elsinore, California, where Rivas Hernandez’s family lived, and paid $1,000 for Rivas Hernandez to be given a cellphone so they could continue talking. Her family had reportedly taken her cellphone away when she returned to them. She and Burke continued to have a relationship, according to the filing, and traveled internationally together.
The filing alleges that during an argument between the two on April 22, 2025, Rivas Hernandez threatened to expose their relationship to ruin Burke’s singing career.
On April 23, 2025, Burke allegedly texted Rivas Hernandez, but authorities believe she was already dead and that Burke allegedly sent these messages to cover it up. ABC News reports Burke did not text Rivas Hernandez after April 26, 2025.
The documents also allege that Burke stabbed Rivas to death before using a fake name to order chain saws, body bags, and an inflatable pool on Amazon, per KABC. He allegedly dismembered her in the inflatable pool with the chain saw and amputated two of her fingers, which had tattoos that matched Burke’s.
The documents allege Burke then put Rivas Hernandez’s remains into the body bags he ordered and they decomposed in his Tesla for weeks, or up to months, according to KABC.
ABC News reports that prosecutors claim Burke “took horrifying measures to destroy and discard the victim’s body.”
Burke was last seen in his Tesla on July 29, 2025, before going on tour. He was allegedly the last person to drive the vehicle before Rivas Hernandez’s body was found inside in September 2025.
Burke’s attorney requested that the document be sealed, but the judge declined the request; the evidence in it will be presented at Burke’s preliminary hearing May 26.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell told KABC, “Sadly, some treated this as if it was entertainment. It’s not entertainment. It’s a tragic life taken in a very brutal way. A lot of people involved, a lot of care and concern, as well, expressed over the case. But we’ve taken it very seriously, and our goal is to be able to preserve evidence until it gets to trial.”
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