D4vd’s Tesla, a Cadaver Bag, and a Teen’s Severed Limbs

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Authorities arrested alt-pop singer D4vd (legal name David Burke), 21, on suspicion of murder in the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
Police discovered her remains inside a cadaver bag in his towed Tesla Model Y in Hollywood Hills on Sept. 8, 2024.
Someone had dismembered the body – severing the arms and legs – and placed the remains in two black bags that emitted a strong odor of decay.
The District Attorney’s office has not yet filed charges. They will review the case to determine if enough evidence exists to proceed. D4vd’s lawyers maintain his innocence.
D4vd rose to fame as a Gen Z alt-pop singer. He went viral on TikTok in 2022 with his hit “Romantic Homicide.” He was actively touring to support his album “Withered” when police discovered the body.

What to Know About Singer D4vd’s Arrest in 14-Year-Old Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s Killing

What to know about singer D4vd’s arrest in the 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s killing begins with the shocking discovery of her remains inside his towed Tesla. Seven months after the girl’s body was found, the alt-pop singer was arrested on suspicion of murder, Los Angeles police announced Thursday.

D4vd’s Arrest and Current Legal Status

Woman singing on a brightly lit stage with an audience and a lone person walking in a dark urban parking lot at night — A singer performs energetically on stage while a lone person walks in a dimly lit urban parking lot at night.

Detectives arrested the 21-year-old, whose legal name is David Burke, on suspicion of murder. Authorities had not publicly named Burke as a suspect until his arrest. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said its Major Crimes Division will review the case to determine whether there is enough evidence to file charges.

Burke’s defense attorneys – Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter – stressed that he has only been detained under suspicion. “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,” the defense lawyers said. “We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”

D4vd’s: The Discovery of Celeste’s Body

The seventh grader’s family reported her missing from Lake Elsinore in 2024, approximately 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Police later discovered her long-dead body inside an apparently abandoned Tesla Model Y, which they towed from an upscale Hollywood Hills neighborhood on Sept. 8, 2024 – one day after she would have turned 15. Authorities listed her age as 14 at the time of her killing.

When police investigators searched the Tesla at a tow yard, they found a cadaver bag “covered with insects and a strong odor of decay.” Detectives partially unzipped the bag and observed “a decomposed head and torso.” Investigators then discovered that someone had severed “the arms and legs from the body,” according to court documents. They also found dismembered body parts inside a second black bag beneath the first. Authorities have not publicly released the cause of death.

Who Is D4vd?

White Tesla Model Y surrounded by yellow crime scene tape on a dark roadside with police car and officers in background — A white Tesla Model Y is taped off with police crime scene tape at night on a roadside.

D4vd, pronounced “David,” went viral on TikTok in 2022 with the hit “Romantic Homicide.” The song peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. After signing with Darkroom and Interscope Records, he released his debut EP “Petals to Thorns” and a follow-up, “The Lost Petals,” in 2023.

He was touring to support his first full-length album, “Withered,” when Rivas Hernandez’s body turned up inside his towed Tesla. Authorities canceled his last two North American shows in San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as a scheduled performance at LA’s Grammy Museum. They also scrapped his entire European tour, which was set to begin in Norway.

The Secret Grand Jury Investigation

A Los Angeles County grand jury had been investigating D4vd for the teen’s death. The singer’s mother, father, and brother accidentally revealed the probe’s existence – and D4vd’s designation as its target – when they filed an objection in a Texas court against subpoenas demanding their testimony. Prosecutors also confirmed that D4vd registered the 2023 Tesla Model Y in his own name at the Texas address of his subpoenaed family members.

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AP News: What to know about singer D4vd’s arrest in the 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s killing

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