Los Angeles police in riot gear forced their way into the home of pop singer D4vd and arrested him on suspicion of murdering a 14-year-old girl whose decomposed and dismembered remains were found months ago inside a Tesla registered in his name. The 21-year-old, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, is now held without bail while investigators prepare to present the case to prosecutors.
The arrest, carried out Thursday by LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division, caps a months-long investigation that began last September when tow yard workers reported a foul odor coming from an impounded 2023 Tesla Model Y. Inside the vehicle's trunk, they found the remains of Celeste Rivas Hernandez in two cadaver bags, The Sun reported.
The Tesla was registered to Burke. The vehicle had been parked in the Hollywood Hills area for several weeks before it was towed on September 8, 2025, which led investigators to believe the teenager may have been dead for a considerable period before discovery.
Fox News reported that LAPD released a statement confirming the arrest and identifying Burke by name. The department's language was direct.
"Detectives from Los Angeles Police Department, Robbery-Homicide Division have arrested David Burke, a 21-year-old resident of Los Angeles, for the murder of Celeste Rivas."
Police also confirmed that Burke is being held without bail and that the case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for filing consideration. No formal charges have been filed yet. The DA's office said it will review the evidence to determine whether charges are warranted.
That distinction matters. An arrest on suspicion of murder is not a conviction, and it is not even a formal charge. Burke has been detained, but prosecutors must still decide whether to file a criminal complaint or seek a grand jury indictment. As of now, neither has happened.
The grim find last fall set off an investigation that has taken more than six months to reach this point. LAPD Captain Scot M. Williams offered careful language when describing the state of the case in its earlier stages, as Newsmax reported.
"We know for sure that Celeste Rivas Hernandez died and someone placed her body in the front trunk area of David Burke's Tesla."
Williams added a critical qualifier at the time: "We don't know for sure if anyone has any criminal culpability for her death beyond the concealment of her dead body." That statement, made months before the arrest, reflected investigators' caution as they worked to build a case. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner had not yet determined the cause or manner of death at that point, and Burke had not been named a suspect.
The trajectory from that cautious posture to a murder arrest suggests investigators gathered evidence over the intervening months that moved them beyond the concealment question. The specifics of that evidence have not been made public.
Burke's defense attorneys wasted no time issuing a forceful denial. Attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter released a joint statement that left no ambiguity about their position, AP News reported.
"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 team went further, emphasizing the procedural reality. "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. We will vigorously defend David's innocence," the lawyers added.
Blair Berk is one of the most prominent criminal defense attorneys in Los Angeles, known for representing high-profile entertainment industry clients. Her involvement signals that Burke's legal team intends to fight the case aggressively from the outset. The case joins a growing list of high-profile criminal cases tied to the entertainment world that have drawn national attention in recent years.
The arrest of Burke may not be the final move in this investigation. Law enforcement sources told ABC News that investigators believe others may have been involved in the death and disposal of Rivas Hernandez's remains, the Washington Times reported.
That detail adds a layer of complexity. The dismemberment and concealment of a body in cadaver bags, placed inside a vehicle and left in the Hollywood Hills, raises questions about whether one person could have acted alone. Investigators have not publicly identified any additional suspects, but the suggestion of a broader probe means this case could expand.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed how Rivas Hernandez died, what her connection to Burke was, or when exactly she was killed. The medical examiner's final findings on cause and manner of death have not been released publicly. Those unanswered questions will be central to any prosecution.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez was 14 years old. The details of how she came to be in a vehicle registered to a 21-year-old musician have not been made public by investigators. Rubi Alonso, a Lake Elsinore resident who knew the family, spoke plainly about what the community wants.
"She deserves justice."
That sentiment captures the weight of the case for those closest to the victim. A teenager's remains were found in cadaver bags in the trunk of a car. Whatever the legal outcome, a child is dead, and the circumstances of her death remain partially obscured by an ongoing investigation.
The case has drawn comparisons to other murder prosecutions that have gripped the public, including the life sentence handed to former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini for a killing near Lake Tahoe. Both cases involve suspects whose public profiles amplified the scrutiny surrounding the allegations.
D4vd rose to prominence as a singer and musician, building a following online before breaking into mainstream recognition. Breitbart noted that the arrest has sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry, given the severity of the allegation and the age of the alleged victim.
Burke is 21 years old and a resident of Los Angeles. Beyond those basic facts confirmed by LAPD, little about his personal circumstances has been disclosed in connection with this case. His music career, whatever its trajectory before last week, now takes a backseat to a murder investigation.
The entertainment world has seen a string of serious criminal matters in recent years. Police investigations involving major pop stars have become less rare than the industry might prefer, and each new case raises fresh questions about accountability and the culture surrounding young fame.
The immediate next step is the District Attorney's review. Prosecutors will examine the evidence LAPD has compiled over the past six months and decide whether to file formal murder charges, pursue lesser charges, or decline to file altogether. Burke remains in custody without bail during that review.
If charges are filed, Burke would be arraigned and the case would move toward a preliminary hearing, where a judge would determine whether enough evidence exists to hold him for trial. His defense team has already telegraphed its strategy: challenge the evidence and assert his innocence.
Investigators will also need to determine whether additional arrests are forthcoming. The suggestion that others may have played a role in the disposal of Rivas Hernandez's remains opens the door to further developments. Authorities have not indicated a timeline for any additional action.
The medical examiner's final determination on cause and manner of death, once released, will be a critical piece of the puzzle. Without it, the public picture of what happened to Celeste Rivas Hernandez remains incomplete. The Gilgo Beach serial murder case showed how forensic evidence and patient investigation can eventually produce results even in the most complex homicide cases, though every investigation follows its own path.
A 14-year-old girl was found dead in cadaver bags in the trunk of a car. The system now has one man in custody and, by its own account, possibly more people to find. Whether it delivers the justice Celeste's community is demanding will depend on what prosecutors can prove, not just what investigators believe.
