LOS ANGELES, USA – The indie pop singer known as D4vd sat quietly through a daylong court hearing on Tuesday, July 21, as prosecutors outlined in graphic detail a murder case against the musician, accused of stabbing and dismembering his teen girlfriend after she threatened to expose their relationship.
The 21-year-old performer, whose legal name is David Burke, was arrested in April and charged with first-degree murder, mutilation of a corpse and child sexual abuse in a case that halted his budding career for a major music label.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which carry the possibility of the death penalty.
Burke began his career as a viral TikTok sensation with songs recorded for Fortnite gaming videos in 2022, and his first hit single, “Romantic Homicide,” paved the way for a multimillion-dollar deal with Interscope Records.
His debut studio album was released in April 2025, in the week that prosecutors say his 14-year-old girlfriend, Celeste Rivas Hernandez, went missing and was stabbed to death.
