Prosecutors allege D4vd dismembered Celeste Rivas with chainsaw in inflatable pool
Prosecutors made a series of harrowing claims against D4vd in a Los Angeles court filing on April 29th.
D4vd, real name David Anthony Burke, was charged with the first-degree murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, as well as charges for lewd acts with a child and for dismembering the victim’s body on April 20th.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office have now shared a court filing that alleges that Burke, who has pled not guilty to the charges, first met Hernandez when she was 11, before sexually abusing her from the age of 13 when he was 18.
The filing alleges that Burke stabbed Hernandez to death in a bid to save his career after she threatened to reveal details of the abuse.
It reads, “Knowing he had to silence the victim before she ruined his music career as she had threatened, very soon after her arrival at his home, defendant stabbed the victim to death multiple times and stood by while she bled out.”
Prosecutors also stated they discovered text messages that show they had a sexual relationship, as well as a possible motive for the alleged murder.
The filing claims, “The messages reveal the victim’s jealousy over the defendant’s relationships with other women, as defendant led her to believe they had a future together.”
It adds (per AP), “She became extremely upset and threatened to disclose damaging information about her relationship with defendant to end his career and destroy his life.”
It’s alleged that Burke sent a rideshare car to pick Hernandez up from her hometown on April 23rd, 2025, and take her to his Los Angeles home, before her phone was permanently turned off.
Prosecutors also claimed that Burke purchased two chainsaws online, which he is alleged to have used to dismember her body in an inflatable pool in his garage. Hernandez’s DNA was later discovered in his garage.
Notably, D4vd’s debut album, Withered, was released on April 25th, just two days after prosecutors alleged that Hernandez was murdered, and he even gave a radio interview the next day.
He is alleged to have kept her body in his Tesla. The vehicle was later discovered in a tow yard in Hollywood in September, while Burke was on tour, which is when Hernandez’s body was eventually identified.
Previously, the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner released a 26-page report confirming that Hernandez died due to homicide and suffered “multiple penetrating injuries”, but did not detail the specifics of her death.
Burke has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his defence attorneys deny that he was the cause of her death.
If found guilty, he could possibly face the death penalty.
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