Los Angeles County local prosecutor announced on Monday (20th) that 21-year-old American pop singer D4vd (real name David Anthony Burke) has been charged with the murder of 14-year-old girl Celeste R. The victim’s body was found in a decomposed state, with limbs gruesomely dismembered.
This shocking and appalling case has garnered significant attention. The victim’s body was discovered last September in a car registered under D4vd’s name, and since then, the case has been under discreet investigation. It wasn’t until last Thursday (16th) that D4vd was officially arrested at a residence in Hollywood.
The charges made public by the prosecution on Monday also revealed more crucial details of the case.
In 2024, when the victim was just 13 years old, D4vd allegedly subjected her to ongoing sexual assault. On April 23, 2025, after the victim was invited to D4vd’s home in the Hollywood Hills, she went missing.
It wasn’t until September when police towed away an apparently abandoned car registered under D4vd’s name. The vehicle emitted a foul odor, and when authorities opened the trunk, they discovered a badly decomposed body.
Los Angeles County local prosecutor Nathan Hochman stated, “D4vd allegedly killed Celeste, dismembered her body, and divided the remains into two bags placed in the car’s trunk. The dismembered body rotted in the car for over four months until it was found at a towing yard on September 8.”
The prosecution stated that the crime occurred during a period of career advancement for D4vd. Allegedly, when Celeste threatened to expose his criminal actions and ruin his music career, D4vd is said to have murdered her.
In a statement, the Los Angeles County prosecutor’s office said D4vd faces three charges: first-degree murder, lewd acts upon a minor under 14 years old, and body dismemberment. During Monday’s preliminary hearing, D4vd pleaded not guilty.
The criminal complaint also includes multiple “special circumstances” charges, such as murder of a witness, murder for financial gain, premeditated murder, and a special allegation that D4vd personally used a deadly and dangerous sharp weapon during the commission of the crime.
Hochman emphasized, “This shocking and horrifying murder case is appalling and deeply infuriating.”
The case is still ongoing. If ultimately convicted, D4vd could face the death penalty or be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole; whether the prosecution will seek the death penalty will be decided later on.