David Anthony Burke, the 21-year-old singer known as d4vd, was arrested on April 16, 2026, outside a rented Hollywood Hills home once owned by Sandra Bullock, in connection with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered remains were found seven months earlier in the trunk of his Tesla.
The arrest marked the culmination of a months-long, secretly impaneled grand jury investigation that had quietly targeted Burke since late 2025, though authorities did not publicly name him as a suspect until taking him into custody. His defense team — attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter — issued their first public statement the same day, insisting the evidence would prove his innocence and noting that no indictment had been returned and no formal charges filed.
Burke had been living quietly in the four-bedroom, three-bathroom Hollywood property, which Bullock purchased in 2001 for $1.48 million and sold in 2018 for $2.9 million. The home, located down the street from Jimmy Kimmel’s residence, was listed for rent at $17,500 a month in September 2025, though the listing was removed the month before his arrest. Neighbors reported seeing a significant police presence in the days leading up to the arrest, with officers using a loudspeaker to urge surrender before taking Burke into custody in handcuffs, dressed in gray sweatpants and a black hoodie.
The investigation began after tow yard employees in September 2025 detected a foul odor coming from a 2023 Tesla Model Y that had been towed from an upscale Hollywood Hills neighborhood where it had sat apparently abandoned. Registered to Burke at his family’s Texas address, the vehicle contained a cadaver bag covered in insects and emitting a strong stench of decay. Inside, medical examiners found a decomposed head and torso, with the arms and legs severed and placed in a second black bag beneath the first.
For more on this story, see D4vd arrested in connection with 2025 killing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, family to speak Monday.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez had been reported missing in November 2024 from her home in Lake Elsinore, about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles. She was 13 at the time, a seventh grader, though court documents list her age as 14 at the time of her death. Her body was found on September 8, 2025 — a day after she would have turned 15 — and had likely been deceased for several weeks prior to discovery. No official cause or manner of death has been released, and the autopsy findings remain sealed at the request of investigators.
The case has drawn attention not only for its grim details but for the contrast between Burke’s rising musical profile — known for the track “Romantic Homicide” — and the violent allegations against him. His lawyers have maintained he was cooperating with investigators and had no role in the girl’s death, while prosecutors prepare to present their case to the Major Crimes Division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for a charging decision expected early the following week.
This follows our earlier report, Riverside County Sheriff Arrests Singer D4vd in Murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
What evidence led to d4vd’s arrest?
Authorities developed probable cause based on the discovery of Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s dismembered remains in a Tesla registered to Burke, combined with investigative findings that linked him to the vehicle and the location where it was found abandoned. The arrest warrant was issued after a secretly impaneled grand jury concluded its investigation, though the specific evidence presented has not been disclosed.
Why was the grand jury investigation kept secret?
The grand jury probe into Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s death was conducted in secrecy, a standard procedure in such cases to protect the integrity of the investigation and prevent potential tampering or flight risks. Its existence and Burke’s status as a target were only revealed in February 2026 when his family challenged subpoenas in a Texas court.
