Prosecutors say singer David Anthony Burke, aka D4vd, sent text messages to Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s cell phone after he killed her to “cover up” the crime.
D4vd, 21, is charged with first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains.
Prosecutors revealed the attempted coverup in a preliminary hearing briefing on Wednesday. The briefing stated D4vd met Celeste in January 2022 when she was just 11 years old. They allegedly began a sexual relationship in November 2023 when she was 13 and he was 18.
Prosecutors allege D4vd killed Celeste to save his career after she threatened to expose their illegal relationship.
D4vd sent an Uber to pick Celeste up and drop her off at his Hollywood Hills rental house around 10 p.m. on April 23, 2025. D4vd is accused of stabbing the 14-year-old runaway multiple times and dismembering her.
Around 10:30 p.m., D4vd sent text messages to Celeste’s phone “inquiring where she was.”
READ ALSO: D4vd Played Audio of Celeste’s Voice in Concert 4 Days After She Died
Prosecutors allege he sent the text messages to her phone to cover his crimes. “The People contend this was part of [his] premeditated plan to cover up the murder, as she was already dead by this time.”
Prosecutors state that D4vd got into his car and drove around while continuously calling and texting Celeste’s phone asking where she was.
He then drove his Tesla to Santa Barbara “attempting to dispose of her property and destroy evidence” before returning to his home the following morning, prosecutors alleged.
“He sent two additional texts to the victim’s phone that day which obviously went unanswered because she was already dead.”
Prosecutors said Burke never contacted Celeste again after April 26.
Celeste’s badly decomposed remains were discovered in the trunk of his Tesla at a police impound lot on September 8, 2025.
D4vd was arrested on April 14 and is currently being held without bond until his trial. His preliminary hearing is set to begin on May 1. The judge ordered the L.A. County Sheriff’s Office to give D4vd a haircut before his hearing on May 1.
The judge denied the defense’s request for D4vd to wear his own clothing in the courtroom. He will appear at the hearing in a jail-issued uniform.