D4vd's Parents Speak Out As Prosecutors Prepare To File Charges
D4vd’s Parents Speak Out To Defend His Innocence In Celeste Rivas’ Homicide As Prosecutors Plan To Charge Him Monday
To almost no one’s surprise, 21-year-old singer-songwriter David Anthony Burke, known professionally as d4vd, was taken into custody by a heavily armed police unit on Thursday, April 16. The artist is being held without bail in connection with the tragic death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Despite d4vd’s arrest, his parents, Dawud and Colleen Burke, have made it clear that they are standing behind their son.
According to Complex and the Burke family attorney, Kent A. Schaffer, the Burkes expressed a mix of sadness and support for d4vd. While the parents are reportedly disappointed by the turn of events, they maintain a firm belief in their son’s innocence. According to Schaffer, the arrest did not necessarily come as a shock to the family, as law enforcement had identified the singer as a person of interest months ago. Nevertheless, the Burkes are planning to fly from Texas to Los Angeles to provide a visible front of support for David as he faces the legal battle of his life.
The investigation that led to d4vd’s arrest dates back over seven months to a disturbing discovery in Hollywood. As previously reported, on September 8, 2025, the mutilated remains of Celeste Rivas Hernandez were found in the trunk of a Tesla vehicle registered to the singer. The vehicle had been towed to an impoundment lot after being found abandoned. Celeste, who was just 13 when she was first reported missing from her Lake Elsinore home in 2024, had reportedly been seen in Burke’s company prior to her disappearance.
For months, the case remained mostly quiet until a grand jury began hearing testimony in November. The investigation recently intensified when the Medical Examiner’s Office officially ruled the teen’s death a homicide. Although the body was badly decomposed, this ruling provided the legal foundation the Los Angeles Police Department needed to move forward. The singer’s defense team, however, insists that the evidence will ultimately clear him, claiming that David Burke was not the cause of the teenager’s death.
Read more about the DA’s clash with LAPD over D4vd’s arrest and prosecutor’s plans to charge him after the jump.
