American singer D4vd, known for his viral TikTok hit “Romantic Homicide,” was arrested on Thursday in Los Angeles on suspicion of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose decomposed remains were discovered inside the trunk of his abandoned Tesla seven months ago.
Los Angeles police confirmed that homicide detectives arrested the 21-year-old Houston-born artist, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, on suspicion of murder. He is being held without bail, and the case is expected to be presented to prosecutors on Monday.
Burke was taken into custody shortly after 4:30 p.m. at a residence on Marmont Avenue in the Hollywood Hills. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Robbery-Homicide Division Captain Scot Williams confirmed the arrest was based on a probable cause warrant.
Rivas Hernandez’s body was found on September 8, 2025, a day after what would have been her 15th birthday, when workers at a Hollywood tow yard detected a strong odor coming from a Tesla registered to the singer. Officers found her remains in two cadaver bags inside the vehicle’s front trunk.
Rivas Hernandez, who was originally from Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, was last seen alive in April 2024. She had been reported missing multiple times in the final year of her life, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
LAPD investigators had also been examining a trip Burke made to the Santa Barbara area in spring 2025, following Hernandez’s death. A spokesperson had initially said he was cooperating with authorities, though sources later confirmed he had ceased cooperating with law enforcement.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office confirmed it is aware of the arrest and that its Major Crimes Division will review the evidence to determine whether charges will be filed.
Burke’s defense attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter issued a firm denial following the arrest. They stated that the evidence would show Burke did not murder Rivas Hernandez and was not the cause of her death, adding that no indictment had been returned by any grand jury and no criminal complaint had yet been filed.
D4vd rose to international fame through TikTok, amassing nearly 4 million followers, and released his debut album “Withered” in April 2025 before embarking on a world tour.
