Seven months after a teen was found dead in a Tesla, prosecutors weigh charges tied to alt‑pop artist d4vd
Seven months after a teen was found dead in a Tesla, prosecutors weigh charges tied to alt-pop artist d4vd
Decision on criminal charges looms
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is set to reveal Monday whether it will pursue criminal charges against d4vd, the 21-year-old alt-pop musician, for the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Rivas’ body was discovered in the Tesla vehicle linked to the artist in September 2025, nearly a year after she was reported missing in Southern California. Her family, who have remained largely private since the discovery, will attend the upcoming press briefing to address the case.
Arrest and legal context
d4vd was taken into custody on April 16, seven months after Rivas’ remains were found in the trunk of his abandoned Tesla, which was parked on a street near his Hollywood Hills residence. The artist, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, is currently held in jail without bail. Prosecutors are assessing whether the evidence meets the criteria for criminal action, with the Major Crimes Division leading the review.
“At this time, additional information is not available,” stated the district attorney’s office in a Friday statement. “We will share an update on Monday once a filing decision has been made.”
Family’s stance and ongoing investigation
Rivas’ family attorney, Patrick Steinfeld, emphasized the family’s commitment to honoring her memory. “Celeste’s voice must be heard and her legacy preserved throughout this process,” Steinfeld said. Meanwhile, d4vd’s legal team is preparing to assert his innocence, noting that he has only been detained under suspicion. “The evidence will conclusively prove David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez,” the attorneys argued in a statement.
“There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed,” the defense team added.
Timeline of events and early clues
Court records from February indicate a grand jury has been investigating d4vd in connection with Rivas’ death. While the documents do not specify his role, they label him a “target” of the inquiry. The arrest followed a series of missing reports, with the final one filed nearly two years ago in early 2024, when Rivas was 13. Photos obtained by CNN suggest she remained alive for almost a year after her disappearance.
Clues linking Rivas to d4vd emerged before she vanished. In January 2024, the pair appeared on a Twitch livestream, laughing and chatting late into the night before d4vd remarked, “Delete everything.” Subsequent photos, including one of him exiting a black Tesla near Rivas’ home, were shared on TikTok. CNN verified the locations and dates of these images. By June 2024, Rivas was captured on stage at a sold-out show d4vd performed at The Fonda Theatre, and a private investigator later found additional photos of them together in late 2024 and early 2025.
The Tesla, registered to d4vd, was towed after neighbors noticed a strong, foul odor emanating from it. Rivas’ body was found in the trunk during this process, raising questions about the timeline of her death. Authorities have yet to confirm when she was killed, though court records note she was 14 at the time of her demise.
Contributors to the report
CNN’s Elizabeth Wolfe, Thomas Bordeaux, Allison Gordon, and Kyung Lah provided key insights for this coverage.
