Singer D4vd has been charged with the murder as well as other crimes in the killing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who was found decomposing in the trunk of his abandoned Tesla in Hollywood in September.  

District Attorney Nathan Hochman said on Monday that the singer, whose real name is David Burke, has been charged with first-degree murder in Rivas’ death. The vehicle had been impounded after getting abandoned on the side of the road not far from where Burke lived.  

Police have said that her death likely occurred in the spring of 2025. She had been reported missing in 2024.  

“A parent’s nightmare is a situation where your daughter goes out one night and never comes back,” Hochman said in a press conference. “Celeste went to Burke’s house in the Hollywood Hills. She was never heard from again.”

Other allegations in the case include lying in wait, murder for financial gain, and murdering a witness in an investigation. The charges also include lewd and lascivious sex acts with someone under the age of 14. 

Hochman said that the murder for financial gain stems from his relationship with the girl, who was underage. Rivas would have been a key witness in that investigation.  

“As the evidence will show, the financial gain was for Mr. Burke to maintain a lucrative musical career that Celeste was threatening that night,” Hochman said. Burke has also been charged with the mutilation of human remains, according to NBC4.  

If he is convicted, Burke is facing life in prison without the possibility of parole. The singer was arrested at his home on Thursday near the Chateau Marmont.  

“Let us be clear — 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,” attorneys for Burke said in a statement. “There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed. David has only been detained under suspicion.”

Rivas’ body was found after workers from the tow company said there was a foul odor coming from the Tesla after it had been towed.