LOS ANGELES, CA - A 21-year-old recording artist currently being held on a murder charge in connection with a dismembered teenage girl found inside the trunk of his abandoned vehicle in September of 2025 reportedly hosted a “significant amount” of child pornography on his phone, according to police.
Singer David Burke, who goes by the stage name D4vd, has since pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder during an April 20 court appearance in connection with the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who was found dismembered in the singer’s Tesla last September.
Prosecutors claim that during the course of their investigation into Burke, approximately 40 terabytes worth of evidence were collected from the defendant’s electronic devices, which allegedly included a “significant amount of child pornography” contained on Burke’s cellphone. It’s unclear whether the alleged indecent images found on the defendant’s phone included images of the deceased victim.
The motive prosecutors are alleging in the death of Rivas Hernandez is that she was planning on going public regarding an alleged illegal relationship between her and Burke. Rivas Hernandez was reportedly last seen alive back on April 23rd, 2025, when she was going to the defendant’s home. She was discovered in the trunk of Burke’s Tesla that September, which had been sitting abandoned in a Los Angeles tow yard.
A report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled the teen girl’s death a homicide, citing the cause of death as “multiple penetrating injuries.” The child’s body is believed to have been dismembered approximately two weeks after her death, according to prosecutors.
Prior to the teen’s passing, Rivas Hernandez, who was still in middle school at the time of her initial missing persons report in February of 2024, had appeared on a livestream of Burke’s in January of that same year. Burke has also reportedly been photographed near the victim’s home between January and March of 2024, prior to her parents filing a missing persons report in April of 2024, with investigators confirming she was alive for at least a year thereafter but couldn’t determine where she had been staying during the yearlong gap.
On top of the first-degree murder charge, Burke has also been charged with sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains, with enhancements for murder of a witness and murder for financial gain.
Singer David Burke, who goes by the stage name D4vd, has since pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder during an April 20 court appearance in connection with the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who was found dismembered in the singer’s Tesla last September.
Prosecutors claim that during the course of their investigation into Burke, approximately 40 terabytes worth of evidence were collected from the defendant’s electronic devices, which allegedly included a “significant amount of child pornography” contained on Burke’s cellphone. It’s unclear whether the alleged indecent images found on the defendant’s phone included images of the deceased victim.
The motive prosecutors are alleging in the death of Rivas Hernandez is that she was planning on going public regarding an alleged illegal relationship between her and Burke. Rivas Hernandez was reportedly last seen alive back on April 23rd, 2025, when she was going to the defendant’s home. She was discovered in the trunk of Burke’s Tesla that September, which had been sitting abandoned in a Los Angeles tow yard.
A report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled the teen girl’s death a homicide, citing the cause of death as “multiple penetrating injuries.” The child’s body is believed to have been dismembered approximately two weeks after her death, according to prosecutors.
Prior to the teen’s passing, Rivas Hernandez, who was still in middle school at the time of her initial missing persons report in February of 2024, had appeared on a livestream of Burke’s in January of that same year. Burke has also reportedly been photographed near the victim’s home between January and March of 2024, prior to her parents filing a missing persons report in April of 2024, with investigators confirming she was alive for at least a year thereafter but couldn’t determine where she had been staying during the yearlong gap.
On top of the first-degree murder charge, Burke has also been charged with sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains, with enhancements for murder of a witness and murder for financial gain.
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