R&B singer D4vd allegedly used chainsaws purchased on Amazon to dismember the body of a teenage girl he killed and left inside the trunk of his Tesla, according to prosecution documents.
Court papers claim the internet breakout star murdered Celeste Rivas Hernandez after she threatened to expose their long-running illegal sexual relationship, which prosecutors say began when she was 13.
Authorities allege he later dismembered her body, using a plastic paddling pool to collect blood, and placed the remains into bags that were left in his vehicle in the upscale Hollywood Hills area before he departed on a nationwide music tour.
The 21-year-old musician, whose legal name is David Burke, faces the possibility of life imprisonment or the death penalty if found guilty of the child’s murder. He denies all allegations.
A brief court hearing in Los Angeles on Wednesday presented the first detailed summary of investigators’ findings regarding Celeste, who had previously been reported missing from her home east of Los Angeles.
Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman submitted a filing outlining the evidence prosecutors intend to present at trial.
According to the document, a series of text messages between Burke and Celeste — including sexual references, pregnancy discussions, emergency abortion talk, and explicit images — suggest an ongoing sexual relationship that allegedly continued even after an official breakup in November 2024, two months after Celeste turned 14.
In April of the following year, the teenager, who had reportedly grown jealous, allegedly warned Burke she would expose the relationship — something prosecutors say could have jeopardized the upcoming release of his debut studio album and his rising career.
“Knowing he had to silence the victim before she ruined his music career as she had threatened, very soon after her arrival at his home, defendant stabbed the victim to death multiple times and stood by while she bled out,” the filing states.
In the weeks that followed, he allegedly ordered two chainsaws from Amazon, along with a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags, and an inflatable pool.
“After placing her body into the blue inflatable pool to prevent her blood from spilling onto his garage floor, defendant used a chainsaw and perhaps other tools to cut off her limbs,” prosecutors claim.
The document further alleges, “In order to distance himself from the victim, he amputated her left ring and pinky fingers because her ring finger contained a tattoo of his name. Her fingers have not been recovered.
Defendant then placed her head and torso into the cadaver bag he purchased. He placed her limbs into a garbage bag, which he deposited into his front trunk, laying the cadaver bag on top. For several weeks, or possibly months, defendant left the victim’s body to decompose inside his Tesla.”
Her remains were later discovered in the vehicle after it was taken to a tow yard following reports it had been abandoned.
Officers were called after a strong odor was detected coming from the car, and Celeste’s body was found days before what would have been her 15th birthday.
Burke has pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains.
He remains in custody, with his next court date set for May 12.
