Los Angeles police arrested a 21 year old singer on suspicion of murder after investigators linked him to the death of a 14 year old girl whose decomposed body was found in his Tesla, authorities said.
The suspect, whose stage name is d4vd and whose legal name appears in filings as David Burke or David Anthony Burke, was taken into custody by detectives from the LAPD Robbery Homicide Division and is being held without bail, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
Defense attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter said in an email that the actual evidence will show David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and that he was not the cause of her death, and they noted no indictment or criminal complaint had been filed as he remained detained under suspicion.
Court documents and investigators describe a vehicle towed from the Hollywood Hills that contained a cadaver bag, heavy insect activity and a strong odor of decay, and detectives partially unzipped the bag and observed a decomposed head and torso, according to filings.
Medical examiner investigators removed the first bag and found the arms and legs had been severed from the body, and a second black bag beneath the first contained dismembered body parts, court documents said. No cause of death has been publicly revealed.
Grand Jury Probe, Subpoenas And Evidence Review
Prosecutors convened a grand jury last November and presented testimony as part of an investigation that was officially secret until family members filed a Texas court objection to subpoenas, court filings show, and those subpoenas sought testimony from the suspect's mother, father and brother.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said it is aware of the arrest and that its Major Crimes Division will review the case to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to file charges, with prosecutors expected to examine the matter on Monday.
Law enforcement sources told media that witnesses who testified to the grand jury included the singer's day to day manager Robert Morgenroth and a close friend and streamer identified as Neo Langston, and investigators say they were looking into a late night trip to a remote area of Santa Barbara as possibly connected to the disappearance.
Authorities and reporting also tied the 2023 Tesla Model Y to the singer by registration records at a Texas address linked to his subpoenaed family members, and the car had been reported abandoned in an upscale neighborhood before it was towed to an impound lot where the body was discovered after complaints about a foul odor.
Family statements given to media said Celeste Rivas Hernandez was reported missing in April 2024 from Lake Elsinore, and court documents list her as 14 when she was killed while noting she would have turned 15 the day after the body was found; her funeral was held in October at Queen of Heaven Cemetery and Mortuary in Rowland Heights.
The arrest prompted the cancellation of the singer's remaining shows last year as his touring schedule was cut short, and reporting noted he had risen to prominence with viral music and record label ties before withdrawing from public life as the investigation proceeded.
