D4vd Pleads Not Guilty To Murder Charge In Los Angeles Case

US artist D4vd has pleaded not guilty to murder and related charges following a case that has sent shockwaves far beyond the music world.

CONTENT WARNING: The details of this case are confronting and deeply distressing.

21 year old D4vd whose legal name is David Burke, was formally charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office over the death of 14 year old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, authorities allege her dismembered body was discovered in September inside a vehicle registered to Burke that had been towed from the Hollywood Hills (per ABC).

Charges and legal proceedings

Prosecutors have charged Burke with first degree murder, as well as lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14 and mutilating a body, the charges include special circumstances such as lying in wait, committing a crime for financial gain, and murdering a witness in an investigation.

Those factors mean the case could carry the death penalty, though prosecutors have not confirmed whether they will pursue it, Burke was arraigned in Los Angeles on Monday and entered a plea of not guilty.

Ongoing investigation and limited details

Authorities have not publicly confirmed a cause of death, a court order remains in place restricting the release of autopsy details, the investigation itself had been largely sealed until earlier this year, when Burke’s family challenged subpoenas in a Texas court.

Those filings revealed the existence of a grand jury probe into the case, Celeste Rivas Hernandez had been reported missing in 2024 when she was 13, Investigators believe she was 14 at the time of her death.

Defence maintains innocence

Burke’s legal team has strongly denied the allegations:

‘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,’ his lawyers said in a statement, they added they would ‘vigorously’ fight the charges.

D4vd rose to prominence through viral success, with his track ‘Romantic Homicide’ gaining traction across streaming platforms and charts, in the wake of the investigation becoming public, he cancelled remaining tour dates.

As the case moves forward, the focus remains on the legal process and the outcome of the charges.

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