Prosecutors say singer d4vd sexually abused a teen for months before killing her. What we know about the case against him

By Alaa Elassar, Zoe Sottile, CNN

(CNN) — Seven months after the decomposed body of a 14-year-old girl was found in the trunk of his car, the singer d4vd pleaded not guilty Monday to first-degree murder, a charge that carries the possible sentence of death or life in prison.

Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s remains were found in d4vd’s apparently abandoned Tesla in September after the car was towed to a police impound yard. The gruesome discovery sparked a monthslong investigation and cast intense scrutiny on the 21-year-old singer, which culminated in his arrest last week.

But it wasn’t until Monday that prosecutors announced charges against d4vd.

Details about the case prosecutors plan to present against the musician remain unclear. His attorneys say the evidence will show he is innocent.

Prosecutors say singer sexually abused teen for months

D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, was charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 years old and mutilating human remains. Prosecutors say he had a sexual relationship with the young girl and killed her after she threatened to expose it.

D4vd made his first appearance in court just hours after he was charged, wearing a black sweatshirt and light gray sweatpants. He did not speak and his attorneys entered the plea on his behalf.

The musician engaged in “continuous sexual abuse” of Celeste starting in September 2023 until September 2024, prosecutors allege in a criminal complaint filed Monday.

LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Burke killed Celeste “when she threatened to expose his criminal conduct and devastate his musical career.”

Celeste’s cause of death hasn’t been released but prosecutors accuse Burke of using “a deadly and dangerous weapon(s),” namely, a “sharp instrument.”

After the “horrific and gruesome murder,” Hochman said in a news release, Burke dismembered Celeste’s body and put her remains in two bags in the front trunk of his car.

Victim last known to be alive in April

Celeste had gone to the singer’s house in the Hollywood Hills on April 23, 2025, Hochman said. “She was never heard from again,” he said.

In a statement Monday evening, Blair Berk – one of d4vd’s attorneys – wrote, “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. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”

Berk is part of a high-powered law firm that has represented Harvey Weinstein, Kanye West and Britney Spears, among other celebrity clients.

She requested a preliminary hearing at the earliest possible date.

The singer’s lawyers also said that they had received “almost no discovery” related to the case.

The murder charge d4vd faces carries three special circumstances: lying in wait, committing a murder for financial gain and murdering “a witness to a crime.”

The “financial gain” circumstance was for “Mr. Burke to maintain his very lucrative musical career that Celeste was threatening on that night,” said Hochman.

Additionally, Celeste was a witness to “the lewd and lascivious sexual acts committed by Mr. Burke,” said Hochman.

The length of time between the teen’s death and discovery of her body presented a challenge for investigators, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell.

“The substantial amount of time that passed between her death and the discovery meant that crucial evidence had degraded or disappeared, and as detectives worked to uncover the truth, they also had to sift through and debunk a great deal of false information circulating publicly,” McDonnell said.

Celeste’s family has largely stayed out of public view since her body was discovered. Her mother, father and sister attended Monday’s arraignment and had little visible reaction to the proceedings.

In a statement, the family’s attorney said they asked for privacy as they grieve the loss of their daughter.

“The Rivas Hernandez family is committed to ensuring that Celeste’s voice is heard and her memory is honored throughout this process,” Patrick Steinfeld, the attorney for the family, said.

Court documents released in February indicate a grand jury had been investigating the singer in connection with Celeste’s death.

Victim was reported missing three times

The charges come nearly two years after the third – and final – time Celeste was reported missing by her family, capping a series of urgent pleas in early 2024 as loved ones and friends grew increasingly alarmed about the seventh grader’s safety and whereabouts.

She was 13 at the time – a teenager remembered in photos for her soft smile and thick, curly hair.

In September 2025, a day after what would have been her 15th birthday, her dismembered and decomposed body was discovered in the trunk of a Tesla registered to d4vd while he was in Minneapolis on a world tour promoting his debut album, “Withered.”

Authorities have not established a clear timeline for when Celeste was killed, though court records indicate she was 14 at the time of her death. Photographs obtained by CNN suggest she was alive almost a year after she was first reported missing.

Neighbors say the car appeared abandoned, parked on a street not far from the Hollywood Hills home where d4vd had been living. It was later towed, and an employee at the yard alerted police after noticing a strong, foul odor coming from the vehicle.

Authorities arrested the singer April 16 on suspicion of killing Celeste, taking him into custody at a residence in the Hollywood Hills just over a mile from the tow yard where the girl’s body was found inside his car.

He is being held in jail without bail.

Clues point to connection between Celeste and d4vd

Clues pointing to a connection between Celeste and d4vd surfaced even before she was reported missing. In January 2024, the two appeared together in a livestream on Twitch, joking and talking into the early morning hours before d4vd, laughing, said: “Delete everything.”

Sometime between January and March 2024, the singer was photographed stepping out of a black Tesla just blocks from Celeste’s home. A local teenager later posted the images to TikTok. CNN geolocated and chronolocated the photos to verify when and where they were taken.

In June 2024, Celeste was photographed backstage at a sold-out show d4vd performed at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. A private investigator later uncovered additional images appearing to show the two together in late December 2024 and early January 2025.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Norma Galeana, Elizabeth Wolfe, Thomas Bordeaux, Allison Gordon, Kyung Lah, and Matt Friedman contributed to this report.