D4vd due in court following arrest in killing of teen Celeste Rivas Hernandez

David Burke, a singer known as D4vd, is expected to make his first court appearance on Monday in connection with the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose remains were found in the trunk of a vehicle registered under his name.

Burke, 21, was arrested Thursday in the murder of Hernandez – about seven months after the victim’s decomposed body was found in the trunk of Burke’s Tesla, law enforcement entities said. He was identified as a suspect in the case in November of last year.

Although charges have not been filed against Burke, the case is expected to be presented to the District Attorney’s office on Monday. Hernandez’s family is expected to be present.

The singer’s attorney, Blair Berk, issued a statement maintaining her client’s innocence.

“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 statement read. “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.”

Hernandez, who was a 13-year-old seventh grader at the time, was reported as missing in 2024 out of the Lake Elsinore area. Her body was found in Burke’s impounded Tesla Model Y on Sept. 8, 2025 after workers at Hollywood Tow reported a strong odor coming from the vehicle.

The murder suspect is expected to make a court appearance on Monday.

While investigating the vehicle, police officers found a decomposed head and torso upon opening the trunk. Investigators with the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office found that the limbs had been severed and located a bag with dismembered body parts.

No cause or time of death has been publicly revealed, and it is not clear whether they have been determined with any specificity, a potential hurdle to prosecution.

After the medical examiner revealed its initial findings, police in November got a judge to block the agency from releasing any more information. That court order remained in place on Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.