The death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez has been officially ruled a “homicide” by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, marking an important development in the ongoing homicide investigation involving D4vd.The development comes after the 21-year-old Houston-born alternative pop singer, whose legal name is David Burke, was arrested in Los Angeles on Thursday on suspicion of murder. TMZ reported that a high-ranking source within the Los Angeles Police Department stated that the medical examiner initially had difficulty determining the manner of death due to advanced decomposition of the body at the time of its discovery in September 2025.
While authorities were unable to determine whether the death was accidental or homicide a few months ago, they now believe they have reached a conclusion.On Friday, police took D4vd into custody for the murder of 14-year-old Celeste. His arrest came more than seven months after the teen’s decomposed remains were found in the bed of an abandoned Tesla truck. He is currently being held without bail in a Los Angeles detention center.
In a statement, Burke’s defense attorneys, Blair Burke, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter, confirmed that their client has not been formally charged. “Let’s be clear — the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not kill Celeste Rivas Hernandez and was not the cause of her death,” they said, according to the Associated Press.“No indictment has been returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint has been filed.
David was detained only on suspicion. The statement added: “We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”Investigators are expected to present the case to prosecutors in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, whose Major Crimes Division will determine whether there is enough evidence to bring formal charges.Rivas Hernandez’s body was discovered on September 8. Investigators who searched the abandoned car found a body bag “covered in insects and a strong odor of decay,” according to court documents.
Investigators partially unzipped the suitcase and observed a decomposed head and torso. Officials from the Medical Examiner’s Office later determined that the arms and legs were severed. A second bag containing additional dismembered body parts was also recovered.The exact cause of death was not revealed publicly. Although the investigation is still ongoing, TMZ reports that his label Interscope Records has pulled his profile from their official website. The D4vd page is no longer visible or listed among the rest of the collection.
