Singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, Los Angeles County prosecutors announced. The 21-year-old musician also faces charges for lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14 and mutilating a body.

Hernandez's dismembered and decomposed body was discovered in September inside a Tesla Model Y registered to Burke that had been towed from the Hollywood Hills. The vehicle had been sitting in an upscale neighborhood appearing abandoned when authorities removed it on September 8, a day after Hernandez would have turned 15. Police found the remains in cadaver bags in the trunk, with investigators determining the body had been dismembered.

Hernandez had been reported missing by her family from Lake Elsinore, approximately 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles, in 2024 when she was 13 years old. Authorities say she was 14 when she died, though no cause of death has been publicly revealed due to a court order blocking autopsy details.

The murder charges include special circumstances allegations of lying in wait, committing the crime for financial gain, and murdering a witness in an investigation, which could make Burke eligible for the death penalty. Prosecutors have not announced whether they will seek capital punishment.

Burke was arrested Thursday at a Hollywood home after being under investigation by a Los Angeles County grand jury. His attorneys released a statement maintaining his innocence, saying "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."

D4vd gained popularity on TikTok in 2022 with his hit "Romantic Homicide" and went on to sign with Darkroom and Interscope Records. He canceled tour dates following reports of his involvement in the case.