D4vd's Lawyers deny he killed 14-year-old after arrest

D4vd arrest: Singer D4vd was arrested Thursday on suspicion of murdering a 14-year-old girl whose badly decomposed body was found seven months earlier in the trunk of a Tesla registered in his name, authorities said. His lawyers immediately denied the allegations.

Grisly discovery and homicide investigation

Los Angeles police said homicide detectives took the 21-year-old Houston-born alt-pop artist - whose real name is David Burke - into custody in connection with the killing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Defense attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter issued a statement strongly rejecting the accusations: "Let us be clear - the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death."

Investigators are expected to present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office on Monday. The DA's office confirmed it is reviewing the evidence through its Major Crimes Division to determine whether charges will be filed.

The defense team also emphasized that no indictment has been issued and no criminal complaint has been filed, stating: "David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David's innocence." It marks their first public response since the arrest.

Authorities had not previously named Burke publicly as a suspect before his detention, and he is currently being held without bail.

D4vd had been the subject of a secret Los Angeles County grand jury investigation into Rivas Hernandez's death. The probe became public after court filings in Texas challenged subpoenas directed at his family.

Rivas Hernandez's body was discovered Sept. 8 inside a Tesla towed from Hollywood Hills, one day after what would have been her 15th birthday. She had been reported missing in 2024 from Lake Elsinore, about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

Court documents state the vehicle - a 2023 Tesla Model Y - was registered to the singer at a Texas address linked to his family. It had been abandoned before being impounded.

According to court records, investigators found a cadaver bag inside the vehicle containing severely decomposed remains. Officials later determined the victim's limbs had been severed, with additional remains recovered in a second bag. The cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.

D4vd, pronounced "David," rose to fame with a Gen Z following after going viral on TikTok with "Romantic Homicide," later releasing multiple projects under Darkroom and Interscope Records. He was on tour promoting his album "Withered" when the discovery was made, later canceling multiple shows in the U.S. and Europe.