Singer-songwriter d4vd (David Anthony Burke) has been under public scrutiny since the body of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was discovered in his impounded Tesla last year. The investigation has finally now taken a significant turn, with an investigative grand jury identifying the singer known as the target of its probe.
The panel, which began reviewing evidence in November, is assessing whether he could face criminal liability in connection with the case. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the artist is the subject of an allegation involving one count of murder, while stressing that no formal charges have been filed and no arrest has occurred.
The development came to light after sealed California court documents were transferred to Texas and later unsealed. According to the records, prosecutors have attempted to get testimony from members of the singer’s family. His mother, father, and brother pushed back against earlier court orders requiring their appearances, contending that redacted affidavits left them without a clear understanding of the grounds for the subpoenas. In court filings, the family also raised concerns about the overall transparency of the proceedings.
According to legal analysts, whenever someone is formally designated as a target, prosecutors often ramp up efforts to obtain testimony and other cooperation. It is not yet known when the grand jury will wrap up its review or whether it will ultimately seek an indictment.
FRIENDS THOUGHT SHE WAS 19
Sources in the Los Angeles music scene told TMZ they often saw d4vd and Celeste together at parties and hangouts, where they behaved like a couple. Some even believed Celeste was a USC student and assumed she was around 19 years old, not a teenager.
According to the report, Celeste used multiple fake IDs that helped her pass as an adult and allowed her entry into age-restricted venues, further convincing those around her she was of legal age.
TMZ’s sources said many were floored to learn Celeste was only 14 when she was last seen with the artist.
WHO IS D4VD?
d4vd is a 20-year-old American singer and songwriter. He began sharing his music on SoundCloud before officially releasing the single “Romantic Homicide” in July 2022, after snippets of the song went viral on TikTok. The track later reached No. 3 on the Hot Alternative Songs chart.
Since then, d4vd’s career has steadily risen: he opened for SZA on her S.O.S. Tour and performed at the Valentino Men’s SS24 Fashion Week show in Milan.
Earlier this year, he released his latest album, Withered, and was on a world tour to promote it when Hernandez’s body was discovered.
WHAT HAPPENED?
On September 8, police were called to a towing and impounding company in Los Angeles after reports of a foul odor coming from an impounded Tesla.
A body was found in the car’s front trunk. Multiple reports indicate the body had been “dismembered and wrapped in plastic” and that the victim had been deceased “for an extended period of time before being found.”
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed on September 16 that the body was Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who would have been 15 years old. Hernandez was 13 when she went missing in April 2024 from Lake Elsinore, southeast of Los Angeles.
Several local news outlets reported that the vehicle was registered to d4vd. Police told the Los Angeles Times that the car had been towed from the Bird Streets neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills, where it had been abandoned earlier this month.
WHO IS THE VICTIM?
Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the victim, would have been 15. She was reported missing from her Lake Elsinore home in April 2024.
The exact connection between Hernandez and d4vd is unclear. One TMZ report said a former teacher of Hernandez indicated she first met d4vd through social media.
On September 17, TMZ reported that Hernandez’s mother told their reporters her daughter had a boyfriend named David. She also noted that Hernandez had a “Shhh…” tattoo on the inside of her right index finger; TMZ said d4vd has a similar tattoo.
TMZ further reported that d4vd had recorded a song referencing someone named Celeste, including lyrics such as:
“Be my valentine / I wanna make you be suicidal / These are the kind of thoughts that cross my mind, just because”
“Oh, Celeste / The girl with my name tattooed on her chest / Smell her on my clothes like cigarettes / Hear her voice each time I take a breath / I’m obsessed.”
d4vd was touring across the US and continued to play shows after the girl’s body was found. Though after his connection to the case became widely reported, he went to cancel the rest of his tour and its European leg.
In November, Los Angeles police got a judge to prevent Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Odey Ukpo from releasing the findings of the autopsy, and no cause of death has been made public as of yet.
Have they even arrested this bum yet?