The case involving David Anthony Burke, popularly known as D4vd has drawn notable attention after prosecutors revealed a chilling timeline connected to the 2025 murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. It started as a simple missing person case and eventually turned out to be a shocking truth that no one expected.
Hernandez was just a 14-year-old teenager from Lake Elsinore, California, who first went missing. And as an investigation began, the remains of her dead body were found inside the front trunk of a Tesla registered to the alt-pop singer.
In 2026, D4vd was charged with first-degree murder (with special circumstances), continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, lewd and lascivious acts with a minor and mutilation of human remains. Prosecutors are considering the death penalty. But the singer is not pleaded guilty yet.
Explore the complete timeline below.
How prosecutors say D4vd’s relationship with Celeste led to a deadly motive
According to investigators, D4vd and Celeste Rivas Hernandez had known each other before the incident happened. Authorities claim that the two met when the teenager was even younger, and then they got into a secret relationship when Hernandez was still a minor.
Evidence like private chats and images is claimed to be supporting this story. The prosecutor believes that an argument took place between the two right before the teenager was killed.
It’s said that the teenager was jealous of the singer’s relationship with other women. Due to this, she allegedly threatened to expose their relationship publicly. Investigators say this warning may have been seen as a serious risk to D4vd’s growing career and could have acted as the trigger behind the tragic event.
April 23 timeline: The night Celeste was last seen alive
Prosecutors have also presented a detailed timeline of the day when Celeste Rivas Hernandez was seen alive for the last time. It was April 23 and claims suggest that D4vd arranged a ride to bring Celeste from her home to his rented property in the Hollywood Hills.
However, she seemed to have arrived late at the location. The case suggests that it was the evening when things went wrong between the two at the singer’s house. Auhtorities claim that the teenager was harmed with sharp object which resulted in injuries on her body. And then, she died from those. This was what the authorities presented to explain what could have been the situation as that was the last time the girl was seen alive.
Alleged cover up, discovery of the remains and the case against D4vd
After Celeste Rivas Hernandez died, prosecutors claimed that efforts were made to hide a crime and possibly her dead body. It was alleged that D4vd dismembered the body in his garage sometime later using new tools that were bought after that incident took place in 2025.
Authorities further claim that the remains were stored inside the front trunk of his Tesla and that he made trips to a remote area in Santa Barbara County, possibly to dispose of items connected to the case. Some belongings linked to Celeste were later found in that region.
The vehicle remained unused for some time and then the police took it under custody. Months later, in September 2025, the remains were discovered inside that same car at an impound lot in Los Angeles.
Since the condition of the remains was really bad, forensic reports took time to arrive. But when they arrived, it confirmed that the teenager had a brutal death. Investigators later connected multiple pieces of evidence, ranging from digital records to DNA findings.
This led to D4vd’s arrest in April 2026. He has since been charged with several serious offenses and has pleaded not guilty, with the case still ongoing.
Continue exploring SoapCentral for regular updates on more such cases.
Edited by Alisha Khan