LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors acknowledged Wednesday that singer D4vd killed 14-twelve months-musty Celeste Rivas Hernandez by stabbing her more than one times then dismembered her physique using chain saws in his garage.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Attach of industrial shared what they acknowledged the proof in the case would tag in a court filing that offered the first detailed allegations of the killing and efforts to diminish apart Rivas Hernandez’s physique and fetch rid of proof.
The court filing acknowledged D4vd, whose real identify is David Burke, met Rivas Hernandez when she used to be 11, began sexually abusing her when she used to be 13 and he used to be 18, and killed her when she threatened to tag their heinous relationship.
“Entertaining he needed to silence the sufferer before she ruined his tune occupation as she had threatened, very almost at the moment after her arrival at his house, defendant stabbed the sufferer to death more than one times and stood by whereas she bled out,” the filing acknowledged.
Burke has pleaded not guilty to first-level waste and a form of counts. His lawyers own acknowledged he is innocent and did not self-discipline off Rivas Hernandez’s death.
Her physique used to be stumbled on decomposing in a Tesla towed from the Hollywood Hills in September of closing twelve months.
Prosecutors acknowledged they’d got textual voice messages that confirmed their sexual relationship, including youngster sexual abuse photos of her on his telephone.
“The messages tag the sufferer’s jealousy over defendant’s relationships with a form of ladies, as defendant led her to imagine they’d a future collectively,” the story says. “She turned extremely upset and threatened to divulge negative info about her relationship with defendant to discontinue his occupation and murder his lifestyles.”
The filing acknowledged he sent a rideshare car to come to a decision her up on the night of April 23, 2025, from her place of birth of Lake Elsinore some 80 miles (129 km) initiate air of Los Angeles. The 2 exchanged messages except she arrived at his Hollywood house, after which her telephone went restful completely.
They command he sent her a leisurely-night message asking the build she used to be in an try to duvet up the killing.
The court filing is supposed to account for the proof that prosecutors thought to present at a preliminary evidentiary hearing starting up Also can merely 26, when a resolve will resolve whether or not there would possibly be doable self-discipline off to transfer to trial. The protection has not publicly offered its version of events.
The story says Burke offered two chain saws online old them to diminish apart her physique in an inflatable pool in his garage, the build the girl’s DNA used to be later stumbled on.
“Defendant took horrifying measures to murder and discard the sufferer’s physique,” prosecutors acknowledged in the short.
Burke drove to Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County about 110 miles (177 kilometers) northwest of his house to fetch rid of proof three times, the story alleges. Her passport used to be stumbled on there in January.
On April 24, the day after her death, he gave a radio interview and had a file-initiate celebration selling his debut beefy-length album, “Withered,” which used to be launched the next day, prosecutors acknowledged in the filing.
Prosecutors command he kept her physique in his Tesla, and lied to guests and commercial mates who asked in regards to the scent.
The physique of Rivas Hernandez had so degraded that examiners couldn’t even resolve her peep colour. She had braces on the time of her death, and a tattoo that be taught “Shhh ….” on the inside of of a finger as well to his identify, in accordance to the file. Two fingers had been missing — as had been parts of her hands and legs.
Prosecutors had not beforehand described how they believed Rivas Hernandez used to be killed or given necessary parts on their relationship. An put up-mortem file acknowledged she used to be killed by penetrating wounds.
Prosecutors acknowledged the oldsters of Rivas Hernandez reported her missing from her house in Lake Elsinore in February 2024. After the February file, Riverside County Sheriff’s detectives contacted Burke, however he told them he had handiest met her as soon as and did not know she used to be a minor.
After she returned house that February, her fogeys took away her mobile telephone however Burke drove to her place of birth and paid a chum of Rivas Hernandez $1,000 to give her a telephone so they would possibly maybe also communicate.
She used to be reported missing again in April 2024. The story acknowledged that twelve months, she spent a lot of her time at Burke’s house in the Hollywood Hills and traveled with him to Las Vegas, London, and Texas to fulfill his family.
The protection attorneys asked Superior Court docket Enlighten Charlaine F. Olmedo at a hearing Wednesday to seal the story, however she declined. They’d no observation initiate air court.
Burke used to be arrested on April 16 and pleaded to first-level waste, lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14 and mutilating a slow physique. He’s eligible for the death penalty, however prosecutors acknowledged they haven’t determined whether or to not search it.
The singer began making tune for YouTube movies he created of the rep game Fortnite when he used to be a teen.
The songs he wrote and recorded on his telephone had been a mixture of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. The tune made him a phenomenon on TikTok, Instagram, Soundcloud and Spotify, the build his top songs, including his 2022 breakthrough “Romantic Murder,” own bigger than one billion plays. In 2023, he launched two EPs and opened for SZA on tour.
He performed in the smash twelve months’s Coachella tune festival real about a weeks before prosecutors acknowledged Rivas Hernandez used to be killed and his album used to be launched. He used to be on tour selling it in September when the physique used to be stumbled on and his identify turned publicly linked to the case. It could truly maybe maybe be seven months before he used to be arrested.
