d4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, was arrested by Los Angeles police on suspicion of killing 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, authorities said. The arrest followed an investigation that began after officers found a decomposed body inside a tow yard vehicle registered to the singer.
Los Angeles police said homicide detectives took Burke into custody and that he is being held without bail. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said it will review the investigative file through its Major Crimes Division to determine whether prosecutors will file formal charges.
Defense attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter issued a joint statement saying the evidence will show Burke did not murder Rivas Hernandez and that he was not the cause of her death. They added there has been no grand jury indictment and no criminal complaint filed, and they said Burke had only been detained under suspicion.
Investigators discovered the long dead body inside a 2023 Tesla Model Y that had been towed from an upscale neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills after reports of a foul odor. Police who searched the car found a cadaver bag with a strong odor of decay and insects, and they partially unzipped the bag to observe a decomposed head and torso, court documents said.
Court filings said medical examiners removed the bag and found that the arms and legs had been severed, and that a second black bag under the first contained additional dismembered parts. Police have not publicly released a cause of death, and they have not publicly named Burke as a suspect prior to the arrest.
Grand Jury Action Family Objections And Aftermath
Prosecutors convened a grand jury to hear testimony in the investigation, and the singer had been the target of that secret probe, sources said. Family members in Texas objected in court to subpoenas that sought their testimony, a filing that revealed the grand jury review and the designation of Burke as a target.
Court records say the Tesla was registered at a Texas address associated with Burke’s subpoenaed family members. Law enforcement sources told reporters that multiple witnesses linked to Burke, including his day to day manager and a close friend, testified before the grand jury.
When the body was found, Burke had been on tour supporting his first full length album, and he canceled the remaining North American and European shows after the discovery. Rivas Hernandez’s family reported her missing the prior year, and friends and relatives held a funeral where they said their last goodbyes.
