The death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez has been officially ruled a “homicide” by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, marking a significant development in homicide investigations against D4vd.Development The 21-year-old Houston-born alt-pop singer, whose legal name is David Burke, was arrested Thursday in Los Angeles on suspicion of murder. TMZ reports that a high-ranking source at the Los Angeles Police Department mentioned that the Medical Examiner initially had difficulty determining the manner of death due to advanced decomposition of the body at the time it was discovered in September 2025. Although authorities were unable to determine whether the death was accidental or a homicide a few months ago, they now believe they have reached a conclusion.On Friday, police arrested D4vd for the murder of 14-year-old Celeste. His arrest came more than seven months after the teenager’s decomposing remains were found in the trunk of an abandoned Tesla truck. He is currently being held without bail at a Los Angeles detention center.In a statement, Burke’s defense attorneys – Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter – stressed that their client has not been formally charged. “Let’s be clear, the real 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 AP.“No indictment has been returned by a grand jury in this case and no criminal charges have been filed. David has been arrested only on suspicion. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence,” the statement added.Investigators expect to present the case to prosecutors in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, and the Major Crimes Division will determine if there is enough evidence to file formal charges.Rivas Hernandez’s body was found on September 8. According to court documents, investigators searching the abandoned car found a body bag “covered in insects and a strong odor of decay.” Detectives partially opened the bag and found a decomposed head and torso. The Medical Examiner later determined that the arms and legs had been amputated. A second bag containing additional severed body parts was also recovered.The exact cause of death has not been publicly disclosed. While the investigation is ongoing, TMZ reports that Interscope Records pulled his page from its official website. D4vd’s page is no longer visible or listed among other groups.
