Last year, 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found dismembered in the back of singer and songwriter D4vd’s abandoned Tesla. The manner of the death was ruled as homicide after the autopsy revealed “multiple penetrating injuries.”

However, the singer, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, was not immediately arrested or charged, but was only questioned. The two’s relationship hasn’t been fully revealed, but her own mother admits Celeste talked about her boyfriend, whose name was David, the two had matching finger tattoos, and Rivas’s brother admitted he watched Celeste go into the singer’s car the night she went missing.

Celeste went missing in April of 2024, but it was ruled as a runaway before being found dead in a Hollywood tow yard. Since then, D4vd has been dropped from marketing campaigns with US retailer Hollister and footwear giant Crocs, and has been absent from all social media platforms.

On September 18, 2025, LAPD investigators executed a search warrant at a Hollywood Hills property occupied by Burke and seized all electronic devices. D4vd’s first court appearance, where he’s being charged with “continuous sexual acts, lewd and lascivious sexual acts with an individual under 14 years old, and mutilating the human remains of a body,” was held Monday afternoon.

Celeste’s family was in attendance and released their first public statement since the singer was charged, “We love her very much, and she always told us that she loved us. We miss her deeply. All we want is justice for Celeste.”

The 21-year-old singer faces a maximum sentence of life, without the possibility of parole, or the death penalty. For now, he’s being held without bail.