D4vd, real name David Burke, is the target of a Los Angeles County grand jury investigation in the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Police found her decomposed body last year in an apparently abandoned Tesla Model Y registered to the ‘Here With Me’ singer. Court documents reportedly showed the vehicle was towed from the Hollywood Hills, according to The Associated Press.
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D4vd’s Family Members Appeal Subpoenas To Testify
Police had not publicly named D4vd—pronounced “David”—as a suspect in the case. But according to court documents obtained by the AP on Wednesday (Feb. 25), prosecutors describe D4vd as the target of a grand jury investigation. While he is a target, officials have yet to formally file charges. The documents say:
“Target may be involved in having committed the following criminal offenses against the laws of the State of California, to wit: One count of Murder.”
Meanwhile, grand jury subpoenas went out on Jan. 15, seeking the testimony of three of his relatives. The paperwork was previously sealed in California, where the grand jury investigation has been kept secret. However, the documents became public after D4vd’s mother, father and brother appealed their subpoenas in Texas. According to the court filings, the singer used the address where his relatives reside to register the Tesla that later had Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s body in it. Ultimately, a judge in Texas ruled that the three family members could not ignore the subpoenas and ordered them to appear in California to testify. It’s unclear if they’ve already given said testimony.
Subpoena Reveals Gruesome Details About Celeste’s Body
Police found the body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez on Sept. 8, a day after she would have turned 15. She was a 13-year-old seventh grader when her family reported her missing in 2024 from her hometown of Lake Elsinore. That’s about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Court documents say authorities listed her age as 14 at the time she was killed.
The subpoena says police investigators searching the Tesla in a tow yard found a cadaver bag “covered with insects and a strong odor of decay.” It says “detectives partially unzipped the bag and observed a decomposed head and torso.” Investigators from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the scene.
“Upon removing the cadaver bag from the front storage compartment, it was discovered the arms and legs had been severed from the body,” the document says. “A second black bag was discovered underneath the cadaver bag. Upon opening the second bag, the dismembered body parts were discovered.”
Before the police searched it, the Tesla had been towed from an upscale neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills. It had been sitting there, seemingly abandoned.
For context, the Medical Examiner’s Office had previously said only that police found Celeste’s body severely decomposed. They also previously said Rivas Hernandez had likely been dead for an extended period before police found her body.
Then, in November, Los Angeles police got a judge to prevent Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Odey Ukpo from releasing the findings of the autopsy. Officials have not revealed the cause of death.
What Has D4vd And His Team Said About The Grand Jury Investigation?
D4vd gained popularity among Gen Z fans for his blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. He went viral on TikTok in 2022 with the hit ‘Romantic Homicide.’ The song peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. He then signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records and released his debut EP ‘Petals to Thorns’ and a follow-up, ‘The Lost Petals,’ in 2023.
When Celeste’s body was discovered, D4vd had been on tour in the U.S. The tour was to support his first full-length album, ‘Withered.’ Still, he continued to play several shows. Later, the last two U.S. shows, in San Francisco and Los Angeles, along with a scheduled performance at LA’s Grammy Museum, were canceled. His European tour, which was supposed to start in Norway, was also clipped.
Representatives for D4vd did not immediately respond to the Associated Press’s request for comment on Wednesday. Additionally, the outlet says his team has not previously responded to emails from the AP seeking comment on the case. The District Attorney’s Office declined to comment.
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Associated Press Entertainment writer Andrew Dalton, writer Jaimie Ding and former AP writer Itzel Luna contributed to this report via Newsroom.
