Music star D4vD, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, has beenchargedwith first-degree murder under special circumstances in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
The 21-year-old singer was arraigned in Los Angeles on Monday, 20 April 2026, where he pleaded not guilty to a series of gruesome charges that have sent shockwaves through the industry.
According to the District Attorney, the D4vd murder case centres on a calculated effort by the artist to suppress a secret relationship with the young victim, a relationship that prosecutors say she was threatening to reveal.
If convicted on all counts, including the unlawful mutilation of human remains and sexual abuse, the 'Here With Me' singer faces the ultimate legal stakes: life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
The District Attorney's office has charged D4vd withfirst-degree murder with what US law refers to as 'special circumstances', a category reserved for the most serious cases.
DA Nathan Hochman described them as 'the most serious charges that a DA's office can bring.' In this instance, prosecutors allege three aggravating factors: lying in wait, murder for financial gain and killing a witness in a criminal investigation.
On top of that, there is a separate allegation that a 'deadly and dangerous weapon, a sharp instrument' was used in the killing, although neither the LAPD nor the DA has specified what that weapon was. Officials have also confirmed that, at the time of Hernandez's death, D4vd was under investigation for 'lewd and lascivious sexual acts' with an individual under 14 years of age.
The combination of those special circumstances means that, if he is convicted, D4vd could face either life in prison or capital punishment. California retains the death penalty in law, even though executions are extremely rare. Hochman's office has not yet decided whether it will ask a jury to consider the death penalty, and nothing has been formally announced.
What prosecutors are already prepared to say, however, is what they believe motivated the killing. Standing alongside LAPD chief Jim McConnell, Hochman claimed that his team's working theory is that D4vd murdered Celeste 'to maintain his very lucrative musical career that Celeste was threatening.'
Officials say she had threatened to reveal their relationship, potentially exposing both the alleged sexual offences investigation and the fact that the popular young artist was secretly involved with a teenage girl.
Source: International Business Times UK
