The headlines are screaming about it and for good reason. On April 16, 2026, the Los Angeles Police Department officially arrested David Anthony Burke, the 21-year-old artist better known as D4vd, on suspicion of murder. If you've been following the indie-pop scene, you know D4vd as the voice behind "Romantic Homicide"—a song that, in a twist too dark for fiction, now feels hauntingly prophetic.
This isn't just another celebrity scandal. It's the culmination of a months-long investigation that began with a grisly discovery in a Hollywood impound lot. For those who need the blunt truth: the remains of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez were found in the front trunk (the "frunk") of a Tesla registered to Burke. We aren't talking about a simple accident. Police reports describe the remains as "severely decomposed" and "dismembered."
The timeline leading to the arrest
The trail to this arrest is long and messy. Celeste went missing from Lake Elsinore back in April 2024. She was just a seventh-grader. For over a year, her family searched while she was allegedly living in a rental property with Burke.
In September 2025, a 2023 Tesla Model Y was towed from the Hollywood Hills for parking violations. When workers at the impound lot noticed a "foul odor" and flies, they called the cops. What they found inside was a nightmare: a head and torso in one cadaver bag and other body parts in another.
Since then, the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division has been quietly building a case. They've spent months digging through digital evidence, including resurfaced Discord chats where users reportedly asked Burke about "the missing girl" while he was active in his server. He didn't reply to those messages.
What the defense is saying
Burke’s legal team, led by high-profile attorneys like Blair Berk, isn't staying quiet. They've been very direct: David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez. They're pointing out that while he's been detained on suspicion, there is no formal indictment from a grand jury yet.
They’re essentially arguing that being "detained under suspicion" is a far cry from being guilty. They claim the actual evidence will clear his name. It's a bold stance considering the body was found in his car, but in the legal world, "registered owner" doesn't automatically mean "killer." The defense will likely lean hard on the fact that the car sat abandoned for weeks before it was towed.
The digital footprint and Discord leaks
One of the most disturbing angles in this case involves Burke’s official Discord server. Internet sleuths found logs from 2022 where a user named "Celeste" was frequently mentioned. Other members of the community allegedly referred to her as Burke’s girlfriend at the time.
Even more chilling is a message from the summer of 2024. While Celeste's family was frantically looking for her, a user in the server told Burke to "drop the song with the missing girl." Burke was reportedly in the middle of a "song crisis" and ignored the comment. This digital trail is likely a huge part of the "probable cause" the LAPD used to finally make the move and put him in handcuffs.
Key facts about the victim
- Name: Celeste Abigail Rivas Hernandez
- Age at disappearance: 13
- Age at time of death: 14 (her body was found the day after what would've been her 15th birthday)
- Home: Lake Elsinore, California
- Connection: Her brother told media she left to "watch a movie" with Burke before disappearing.
Why this case is different
Usually, when a celebrity is involved in a crime, there’s a lot of "he-said, she-said." But the physical reality of a dismembered body in a personal vehicle is hard to move past. The medical examiner noted the body had been in that Tesla through a blistering Los Angeles summer.
The LAPD isn't just looking at Burke. They’ve hinted that the dismemberment and disposal of the body likely involved more than one person. That’s why his family was subpoenaed to testify in front of a grand jury earlier this year—a move they fought tooth and nail in a Texas court.
The impact on the music industry
D4vd was on a massive trajectory. He had a world tour, "Withered," that was seeing sold-out shows across North America and Europe. That’s all gone now. The moment Celeste was identified in late 2025, he started canceling dates. Now that he’s being held without bail, the "indie-pop darling" image is effectively dead.
Interscope and Darkroom Records haven't released a formal "he's dropped" statement yet, but you can bet the lawyers are working overtime on the contracts. Fans are divided. Some are holding out for the "truth" the defense promised, while others are scrubbing his music from their playlists in disgust.
What happens next
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office is scheduled to review the case on Monday. That’s when we’ll see if formal charges—likely first-degree murder—are filed. If the DA moves forward, a preliminary hearing will follow where the prosecution has to show there’s enough evidence to go to trial.
If you're following this, keep your eyes on the forensic reports. The "cause of death" hasn't been officially released because of how decomposed the remains were. That's a massive piece of the puzzle. If the prosecution can’t prove how she died, the defense will have a much easier time arguing that Burke was just a witness or a panicked bystander rather than the perpetrator.
Stay updated by following local LA court filings rather than just TikTok rumors. The next few days in that courtroom will determine whether one of the biggest rising stars in music spends the rest of his life behind bars.
