The accused killer of a Lake Elsinore teenager was charged Monday with murder, sexual abuse of a child, and unlawful mutilation of human remains.
David Anthony Burke, a singer known as D4vd, was charged with murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose decomposed, dismembered body was discovered in a car registered to Burke in September 2025. The girl had been missing since 2024.
In a downtown Los Angeles press conference, L.A. County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced the charges against Burke. The complaint against the 21-year-old suspect includes special circumstance allegations of murder of a witness, murder for financial gain, lying in wait, and using a deadly weapon, a sharp instrument, to commit the crime.
“Celeste was just a child, under 14 years old, when David Burke allegedly engaged in repeated lewd and lascivious sexual relations with her,” Hochman said in a news release from the DA’s Office. “But Burke’s actions did not allegedly stop there. When she threatened to expose his criminal conduct and devastate his musical career, Burke allegedly murdered her, cut up her body and stuffed her body in two bags that were placed in the front trunk of his car. There the dismembered body sat for over four months decomposing until it was found at a tow yard on Sept. 8, 2025.
“This horrific and gruesome murder committed by the charged sexual predator is shocking and appalling. To Celeste’s loved ones, we will get the justice you seek and deserve.”
According to the news release, Burke invited the victim to his home in Hollywood Hills on April 23, 2025. Celeste arrived at the defendant’s house and was never seen again.
Burke faces death or life in state prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. A decision on whether to seek the death penalty will be made at a later date.
