D4vd: Singer pleads not guilty to murder of 14-year-old girl found dead in his car

US singer D4vd has pleaded not guilty to the murder of a 14-year-old girl, who was found dismembered in his Tesla.

The 21-year-old musician, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, had been under investigation by a grand jury after the decomposed body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found in a car registered to him in September.

D4vd - pronounced "David" - was arrested on Thursday at a home in Hollywood.

Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said on Monday that he was charged with first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14, as well as mutilating a body in the killing of Ms Hernandez.

The girls' parents were in court for Burke's first appearance in the case on Monday. He appeared behind glass in a custody area of the court, dressed in black.

The singer's lawyer entered not guilty pleas on his behalf to all the charges, and the judge said he would continue to be held without bail.

The teenage girl, who was identified after forensic examinations, had been reported missing from her hometown of Lake Elsinore - about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles - in 2024, when she was 13.

Authorities, who described her on Monday as a "runaway", say she was 14 when she was killed.

Her remains were discovered in a Tesla Model Y registered to Burke on 8 September - the day after she would have turned 15 - when police were called to a Hollywood tow yard because of reports of a foul smell coming from the vehicle.

The vehicle had been towed from the Hollywood Hills, where it appeared to have been abandoned.

Inside the car, investigators found a cadaver bag containing a head and torso, and a second bag containing dismembered body parts, according to court documents, although the cause of death has not been publicly confirmed. Authorities said the coroner's report would be released "shortly".

Burke's lawyers previously vowed to "vigorously defend" his innocence, adding: "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."

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Ms Hernandez was last heard from on 23 April 2025, when she went to D4vd's home "at his invitation".

"Celeste, a 14-year-old at that time, went to Mr Burke's house in the Hollywood Hills. She was never heard from again," Mr Hochman said at the news conference announcing D4vd's murder charges on Monday.

The murder charges included special circumstances - lying in wait, committing a crime for financial gain and murdering the witness in an investigation - that could carry the death penalty, but prosecutors have not announced whether they will seek it.

Mr Hochman alleged Burke killed Ms Hernandez "to maintain his very lucrative musical career that Celeste was threatening on that particular night".

He added that the charge of murdering the witness relates to Ms Hernandez, and the investigation was into "the lewd and lascivious sexual acts committed by D4vd".

Mr Hochman called the case "a parent's nightmare".

Ms Hernandez's family has remained private and has not made any public statements on her death.

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Mr Hochman said: "I had the chance to meet with some of the family members of Celeste and their grief is incalculable as to what happened to their daughter."

The Houston-born singer had been on tour when the body was discovered, and a spokesperson for the artist said at the time he was "fully cooperating with the authorities". Authorities did not publicly name D4vd as a suspect until his arrest.

Burke, who went viral on TikTok in 2022 with the hit Romantic Homicide, cancelled the final two shows of his tour and a planned European tour when reports of his possible involvement spread widely.

(c) Sky News 2026: D4vd: Singer pleads not guilty to murder of 14-year-old girl found dead in his car