A fake song appearing to be a confession to the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez briefly surfaced on the official Apple Music account of singer D4vd, according to reports from ibtimes.co.uk. The track, titled “I Did It…”, appeared on the verified page of the 21-year-old musician, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, while he remains in custody awaiting the outcome of a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles.
Viral Spread of the “Confession” Track
The upload quickly went viral across Reddit, X, and TikTok, with some social media users initially believing the track was a genuine confession. The song featured lyrics that referenced Celeste by name and imitated D4vd’s vocal style. Specific lyrics described the victim as the girl with my name tattooed on her chest
and claimed her scent remained on his clothes like cigarettes,
while also mentioning missing her and fearing she would only love him after his death.
The track’s cover art reportedly featured an aerial image of a Los Angeles tow yard where investigators discovered Celeste’s remains inside Burke’s abandoned Tesla in September 2025. TMZ later reported that the Apple Music account had been compromised and the song was not authentic. While the audio was eventually removed, reports from news.abplive.com stated that the title and cover artwork remained visible for a period, allowing the story to continue circulating.
Ongoing Murder Case Against David Anthony Burke
The hacked upload occurred as prosecutors presented evidence during Burke’s preliminary hearing. Burke has pleaded not guilty to charges including first-degree murder, mutilation of human remains, and continuous sexual abuse of a child. Prosecutors allege that Burke began a sexual relationship with Celeste when she was 13 and later murdered her because she threatened to expose the relationship, which could have damaged his growing music career.
Evidence presented in court includes:
- Testimony that Burke purchased body bags, chainsaws, an inflatable pool, and other equipment shortly after the death.
- Forensic testimony that blood found on items from his Hollywood Hills home was highly likely to belong to the victim.
- Text messages allegedly showing tension between the pair, including messages suggesting the teenager had become pregnant and later had an abortion.
- Claims that Burke has “Celeste” tattooed on one of his fingers and that the victim had his name tattooed on hers.
Burke’s defense team has challenged portions of the prosecution’s forensic evidence. A judge will determine if there is sufficient evidence for Burke to stand trial; he remains presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Industry-Wide Issues with Fake Tracks
The incident highlights broader vulnerabilities in streaming services. According to the BBC, bad actors can exploit loopholes in audio upload processes by providing metadata that allows them to submit music using an existing artist’s name or a similar spelling. Because these processes are largely automated, fake tracks often remain online until a rights-owner alerts the platform.
The scale of this issue is significant across the industry:
- Sony Music previously requested the removal of more than 135,000 songs by impersonators.
- Spotify revealed it removed over 75 million “spammy tracks” over a 12-month period ending last September.
In response, Spotify launched Artist Profile Protection
in March to allow certain musicians to review new additions. Despite these measures, another fake D4vd song titled “Marcescence” was added to the singer’s Spotify profile on 18 July, remaining live for eight hours before its removal.
