New details released in court filings reveal that the murder case involving singer D4vd has ties to Santa Barbara County. The singer is accused of disposing of evidence near Lake Cachuma immediately after allegedly killing Celeste Rivas Hernandez at his Hollywood Hills home.
Documents allege that David Anthony Burke repeatedly visited “an isolated site” off of Highway 154 where Rivas Hernandez’s passport card was found by a Caltrans worker in January 2026.
On April 23, 2025 — two days before his debut album was released — Burke allegedly murdered Rivas Hernandez, a 14-year-old girl who then-20-year-old Burke was reportedly having a sexual relationship with. According to court documents, the two had a heated argument via text message the day before, where Rivas Hernandez “threatened to disclose damaging information about her relationship with the defendant to end his career and destroy his life.”
Rivas Hernandez’s body was found dismembered about six months later in the front trunk of Burke’s Tesla, after the vehicle was impounded and the tow yard manager noticed the stench of decay emanating from the car.
Burke was arrested on April 16, 2026, almost a full year after Rivas Hernandez’s death. He has been charged with the continuous sexual abuse of a child and first degree murder, with special allegations of murder to prevent testimony and murder for financial gain. Last week, Burke pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Court documents filed by the plaintiff say that, immediately after stabbing and killing Hernandez in the garage of his Hollywood Hills home, Burke drove north up the coast through Santa Barbara County and up San Marcos Pass to a location near Lake Cachuma, presumably to “dispose of her property and destroy evidence.” Details on how Burke’s location was determined were not noted in the court briefing.
A couple of weeks after Rivas Hernandez’s death, on May 1 and 7, Burke allegedly ordered online a shovel, two chainsaws, a body bag, heavy duty laundry bags, and an inflatable pool, which were all delivered to his address and ordered under the alias Victoria Mendez. The Trace Analysis Unit of LAPD’s Forensic Science Division found pieces of blue plastic consistent with the material of the inflatable pool lodged in deep cuts in Rivas Hernandez’s body.
On May 8 and May 31, Burke allegedly visited the same location in Santa Barbara County off of the 154, after the collection of suspicious items had been delivered to his home.
On July 7, three weeks before he left Los Angeles for his concert tour, a burn cage — a device typically made of perforated stainless steel, that maximizes airflow for hotter and quicker burns — was delivered to his home under the same alias as the aforementioned deliveries, according to court documents.
Burke is currently being held in L.A. County Jail with no bail. His next scheduled court appearance is May 12.
