D4vd

Introduction

David Anthony Burke (born March 28, 2005), known professionally as D4vd, is an American singer-songwriter who rose to fame in 2022 with the viral hit “Romantic Homicide.” In April 2026, the 21-year-old was charged with first-degree murder in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered remains were found the previous September in an impounded Tesla registered to him. District Attorney Nathan Hochman called the death “brutal and horrific.” Burke pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and remains held without bail; he has not been convicted and is presumed innocent.

Background Information

Burke was born in Queens and raised in Houston, Texas, where he began making music in 2021 to score his Fortnite gaming montages. After “Romantic Homicide” went viral in 2022, the single reached No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him a signing with Darkroom and Interscope Records,. His debut album, Withered, opened at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 in April 2025.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

On September 8, 2025, Los Angeles police opened the front trunk of an impounded Tesla registered to Burke at a Hollywood tow lot and found human remains; days later they were identified as Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a 14-year-old from Lake Elsinore who had been reported missing.

Prosecutors allege Burke, who was 18, began a sexual relationship with Hernandez in November 2023, when she was 13. After the two argued by text on April 22, 2025 — during which Hernandez threatened to expose the relationship and damage his career — her cellphone activity stopped the next day, the date prosecutors allege Burke killed her with a “sharp instrument.” In the following weeks, they allege, he ordered a shovel, two chainsaws, a body bag, and laundry bags, then used the chainsaws to dismember her body in his garage before driving with her remains in his Tesla for weeks or possibly months.

He was arrested on April 16, 2026, and charged on April 20 with first-degree murder, with special-circumstance allegations of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, murder for financial gain “to maintain his very lucrative musical career that Celeste was threatening” to expose, lying in wait, and murder of a witness, plus a charge of unlawfully mutilating human remains; prosecutors have indicated they may seek the death penalty. A not guilty plea was entered at arraignment; his attorney said she believes the evidence will show he did not murder Hernandez.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The discovery triggered swift industry fallout: within days his Withered tour was canceled and his label Darkroom/Interscope, publisher Sony Music Publishing, and management dropped him; Crocs and Hollister pulled campaigns, and Lake Elsinore held a vigil for Hernandez.

Collaborators distanced themselves at scale: Kali Uchis pulled their duet from streaming, Riot Games delisted his Arcane track “Remember Me,” EA Sports cut his song from the Madden NFL 26 soundtrack, Epic Games refunded Fortnite purchases, YouTube demonetized his channel, and Universal Music Group helped artists strip his collaborations from streaming.

Hernandez’s parents, Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, said, “All we want is Justice for Celeste.” Prosecutors revealed more than 40 terabytes of digital evidence, and an Interscope staffer testified Burke made more than $7 million from his record deal before being dropped — figures they cited in arguing a financial motive. During the preliminary hearings, the family watched as images of the teenager’s decapitated and mutilated remains were displayed — her parents were later seen crying in the courthouse hallway — and the medical examiner testified the body weighed just 71 pounds, with Celeste’s braces found during the exam.

Current Status

Burke remains in custody without bail. At the end of a five-day preliminary hearing, Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo ruled on July 27, 2026, that prosecutors had met the probable-cause standard and ordered him to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and mutilation of a body — charges that carry life without parole, or death. His attorneys have said: “The 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.”

At his August 31, 2026 arraignment, Burke’s private attorneys — Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter — withdrew after telling the judge they could no longer represent him; the court appointed the county Public Defender’s Office, and he pleaded not guilty again. District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at the hearing that he had not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty: he is awaiting a mitigation packet from Burke’s former legal team and will allow the new public defender time to submit one if he chooses. Earlier in 2026, Hochman rescinded his predecessor’s categorical ban on capital prosecutions, saying the office will now consider the death penalty “only after an extensive and comprehensive review and only in exceedingly rare cases,” with victims’ families given “full input” on the punishment sought.

Into that decision came the family’s own input. In an exclusive statement to The California Post published September 6, 2026 — the eve of what would have been Celeste’s 16th birthday, and one year to the day since her body was found — the Rivas Hernandez family said: “If the death penalty were activated, it would be perfect for this kind of human being, devoid of feelings and emptiness inside, and without conscience, who only caused pain to our daughter, our family, and the world that supports our precious daughter.” They added: “But that’s not in our hands, but rather in God’s, and the California justice system.” The statement, signed “The Rivas Hernandez Family” and released alongside a never-before-seen photo of Celeste, was reported by TMZ and the Daily Mail. Hochman’s office has made no final determination; no trial date has been set; Burke, charged but not convicted, remains presumed innocent.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The case effectively ended the career of one of pop’s fastest-rising young artists: within days his tour was cut short and his label, publisher, and management dropped him; within months his music was pulled from streaming platforms, soundtracks, and video games. Public interest was enormous — Burke became Google’s top-searched musician and overall person of 2025 — but brought no professional reprieve.

Burke’s future now rests on the criminal proceedings — and on Hochman’s pending capital-punishment decision, which his accuser’s family has publicly urged toward execution. He is accused — not convicted — and continues to deny the allegations; until a verdict, he remains presumed innocent.