D4vd has been charged with sexually abusing, murdering and mutilating the body of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Her decomposed remains were found in his apparently abandoned Tesla seven months ago, Los Angeles County prosecutors say. Here’s a look at the timeline of D4vd’s career, allegations about Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the investigation into her death, and the murder charges.
RELATED: Prosecutors In D4vd Case Detail Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s Final Hours, Allege Chainsaw Used On Remains (VIDEO)
D4vd & Celeste Timeline From 2022-2024
The allegations in the disturbing case stretch back to 2023 — just a year after the singer’s first single made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The 21-year-old has pleaded not guilty and his attorneys have said he did not cause her death.
2022: D4vd’s Music Goes Viral
D4vd was a content creator who began making his own music to accompany the video game montages he would post online. This year, he went viral on TikTok for his song ‘Romantic Homicide.’ The song ultimately peaks at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. D4vd later signs with Darkroom and Interscope Records.
November, 2023: Prosecutors Allege Abuse Begins
D4vd allegedly begins to sexually abuse Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who was 13, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. She was described by authorities as a runaway, and court documents say she lived with D4vd in Los Angeles.
Feb. 17, 2024: Investigators Tell D4vd Celeste Is A Missing Minor
Investigators have said Celeste Rivas Hernandez was reported missing from her home in Lake Elsinore, a town about 80 miles southeast of Los Angeles, several times before her death.
According to prosecutors, Riverside County authorities contacted D4vd about Celeste during one disappearance. He told authorities he was unaware she was a minor and had last had contact with her a few days earlier. Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies checked out Burke’s house looking for Hernandez and also informed him she was 13.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez returned home two days later, prosecutors say. Her parents took her phone away. In response, D4vd allegdly paid $1,000 to a junior high classmate of hers to give her a phone so he could keep in contact with her.
April 5, 2024: Celeste’s Family Reports Her Missing
Rivas Hernandez’s family reports the seventh grader missing from her home in Lake Elsinore, for the last time. Prosecutors allege that in the months that followed, Celeste spent lots of time with D4vd and traveled with him to Las Vegas, London and Texas to meet his family.
November 2024: D4vd & Celeste Break Up
David and Rivas Hernandez “broke up” but continued to have contact, according to prosecutors. She returned to her home in Lake Elsinore at some point.
What Happened Right Before & Celeste Died (2025-2026)
April 11, 2025: D4vd Goes Viral After Coachella Debut
D4vd performs at the music festival Coachella and goes viral again — this time for face-planting hard on the stage during a failed backflip attempt. In an interview with The Associated Press during the festival, Burke said he uses fan feedback to refine his set lists.
“I am my fans and my fans are me. And we work in tandem with each other and it’s such a beautiful poetic kind of thing that we have,” he said.
April 22, 2025: Celeste Threatens To Expose Relationship With D4vd
On this day, the singer and Rivas Hernandez, then 14, had an argument.
“The messages reveal the victim’s jealousy over defendant’s relationships with other women, as defendant led her to believe they had a future together,” prosecutors said in a document outlining evidence in the case.
April 23, 2025: Allegedly The Last Day Celeste Rivas Hernandez Was Alive
Prosecutors say they believe David Burke stabbed Celeste Rivas Hernandez to death “on or about” April 23, the last day anyone heard from her. Prosecutors say D4vd killed Celeste because she threatened to expose their inappropriate relationship and posed a threat to his career.
Amid the text confrontation, he sent a rideshare car to pick up Hernandez from her Lake Elsinore home and drop her off at his Hollywood Hills home at around 10:10 p.m. that night. Prosecutors allege Burke sent text messages beginning at 10:30 p.m. asking Rivas Hernandez where she was to conceal that he had killed her. At 11:30 p.m., he texted Rivas Hernandez’s cell again, asking where she was. Then, he drove away from his home to a remote area of Santa Barbara County.
April 24, 2025: Burke Ordered A Shovel Online
Prosecutors say Burke used the Postmates delivery app to have a shovel delivered to his home.
April 25, 2025: Burke Release Debut Album, ‘Withered’
Burke releases his first album, ‘Withered.’ In social media posts and media interviews, he describes using a recurring motif in his music and videos — an alter ego character he calls ‘T4MI.’ It’s named after “itami,” a Japanese word for pain.
“He’s basically like the evil version of me,” D4vd said in a YouTube interview with the ‘Tape Notes’ podcast published May 2025.
Burke’s videos sometimes depict the character blindfolded, in a shirt that appears covered in blood.
May 1, 2025: D4vd Allegedly Order More Cover-Up Tools
Burke ordered two chainsaws to be delivered to his home, according to prosecutors. They were ordered using a fake name.
