Key Takeaways
- d4vd (real name David Anthony Burke), a 21‑year‑old bedroom‑pop star with a multi‑million‑dollar record deal, is accused of murdering his 14‑year‑old former girlfriend, Celeste Rivas Hernandez, in April 2025.
- Prosecutors allege the killing stemmed from Celeste’s threat to expose damaging information about their relationship that could have ruined d4vd’s burgeoning career and product endorsements.
- The victim’s body was allegedly stabbed multiple times, then dismembered in a blue inflatable pool using chainsaws purchased online; her left ring and pinky fingers—bearing a tattoo of d4vd’s name—were removed and never recovered.
- After the dismemberment, d4vd placed the remains in garbage and cadaver bags, stored them in the front trunk of his Tesla, and attempted to conceal the odor of decomposition while continuing his album release party and upcoming international tour.
- Celeste’s remains were discovered in the Tesla trunk on September 8 2025, a day after she would have turned 15, leading to d4vd’s arrest and charges of first‑degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and mutilation of human remains.
- d4vd has pleaded not guilty; his defense maintains the evidence will show he did not cause Celeste’s death, while the prosecution presents text messages, purchase records, forensic matches, and witness testimony as proof of guilt.
The dispute that precipitated the tragedy began on April 22 2025, when a heated text‑message exchange between d4vd and Celeste revealed her jealousy over his involvement with other women. According to a nine‑page brief filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney, Celeste warned that she would “disclose damaging information” about their relationship if he did not comply with her demands, a threat she claimed would “end his career and destroy his life.” At the time, d4vd was on the verge of releasing his debut studio album, Withered, scheduled for just days after the argument, and had already secured lucrative product endorsements that prosecutors say motivated him to silence her.
Prosecutors assert that the killing occurred late on April 23 2025, shortly after Celeste arrived at d4vd’s Hollywood Hills home via an Uber he had summoned. The brief states that, knowing he had to prevent Celeste from ruining his music career, d4vd stabbed her multiple times and watched as she bled out. In the ensuing days, he purchased two chainsaws, a body bag, heavy‑duty laundry bags, and a blue inflatable pool from Amazon—items the prosecution says were used to dismember and conceal her body.
Forensic evidence indicates that Celeste’s body was placed in the inflatable pool to keep blood from spilling onto the garage floor. Using a chainsaw (and possibly other tools), d4vd allegedly severed her limbs; small blue plastic fragments recovered from her remains matched the pool’s material. Notably, he is accused of cutting off her left ring and pinky fingers because her ring finger bore a tattoo of his name; those fingers have never been found. The dismembered parts were then stuffed into a cadaver bag and a garbage bag, which were placed in the front trunk of his Tesla, with the cadaver bag on top. The vehicle was left to let the remains decompose.
Over the following weeks, d4vd allegedly lied to friends, business associates, and others who noticed a strong odor of decay emanating from his home and car. He continued with his professional obligations: the night after the murder he attended an album release party, and in late July 2025 he embarked on an international tour, having parked the Tesla a short distance from his residence to avoid detection. When police finally searched the car on September 8 2025—one day after Celeste would have turned 15—they discovered her remains in an advanced state of decomposition. The medical examiner’s report confirmed advanced decomposition, consistent with the timeline alleged by prosecutors.
The case traces back to a relationship that began when Celeste was just 11 years old. d4vd, then a rising bedroom‑pop artist, met her in 2022. Prosecutors claim their sexual relationship commenced in November 2023, when he was 18 and she was 13—a continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 charge forms part of the indictment. Their interactions persisted even after a nominal breakup in November 2024, with text messages showing Celeste expressing dissatisfaction: “all we do is have sex and just hang out man I want more than that for myself.” Despite the breakup, they continued to see each other sexually, a dynamic prosecutors say d4vd exploited to maintain control.
d4vd’s career trajectory prior to the alleged murder was meteoric. He debuted on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in November 2023, performing his breakout hit “Romantic Homicide,” whose music video features him standing over the bloodied body of a woman in a white dress while singing lyrics that reference killing without remorse. The song’s dark imagery and his subsequent rise to fame contrasted sharply with the violent acts prosecutors allege he committed.
Following his arrest in April 2025, d4vd pleaded not guilty to first‑degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and mutilation of human remains. His attorney, Blair Berk, has argued that the evidence will demonstrate he did not cause Celeste’s death. Celeste’s family, represented by lawyer Patrick Steinfeld, has expressed profound grief, noting they still face everyday responsibilities while struggling to process the loss of a teenager whose life was cut short just shy of her fifteenth birthday.
The case has drawn significant media attention, highlighting issues of teenage exploitation, the dangers of relationships marked by power imbalances, and the extent to which an emerging celebrity might go to protect a burgeoning career. As the legal proceedings continue, the prosecution relies heavily on text messages, purchase receipts, forensic matches, and witness testimony to build a narrative of premeditated violence, while the defense seeks to undermine the causal link between d4vd’s actions and Celeste’s demise. The outcome will not only determine the fate of a young artist but also serve as a sobering reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by minors in relationships with older, influential partners.