Key Takeaways
- Los Angeles police arrested 21-year-old "Romantic Homicide" singer D4vd (David Anthony Burke) and are holding him without bail in connection with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas, whose decomposed, dismembered body was found wrapped in a bag in the front trunk of his abandoned Tesla in the Hollywood Hills.
- Rivas, missing for over a year, was linked to Burke through a shared "Shhh..." tattoo and a relationship her mother described to TMZ, while resurfaced photos and videos appear to place him near her former Lake Elsinore home and living in a manager-rented house later searched by LAPD homicide detectives.
D4vd, real name David Burke, has been arrested in connection with the murder of Celeste Rivas, the teen whose body was found in the singer’s car in early September, according to NBC4 Investigates on Thursday.
The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement to NBC News that the 21-year-old singer was being held without bail and that the case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office on Monday.
“Detectives for the Los Angeles Police Department, Robbery Homicide Division have arrested David Burke, a 21-year old resident of Los Angeles, for the murder of Cleste Rivas. Burke is being held without bail,” authorities told Complex. “The case will be presented to the District Attorney's office on Monday for filing consideration.”
Shortly after news of D4vd’s arrest surfaced, TMZ released footage of the singer being taken into custody.
Los Angeles police have been conducting a homicide investigation after a decomposed, dismembered body was discovered in the front trunk of his Tesla, which had been abandoned in the Hollywood Hills and later towed to an impound lot. Police were notified about a foul odor coming from the car and discovered the body wrapped in a bag. It was later reported that the vehicle was registered to the 20-year-old singer.
The remains were eventually identified as Rivas, whose mother told TMZ she had a boyfriend named David and had been missing for over a year.
TMZ previously reported that the 20-year-old singer has a tattoo on his right index finger that reads “Shhh…,” the same tattoo found on Rivas. He did not appear to have the tattoo until Sept. 2024 based on photos reviewed from earlier in the year.
D4vd (born David Anthony Burke) had been touring in support of his album Withered at the time Rivas’ body was discovered. He continued on with a performance on Sept. 9 at The Fillmore in Minneapolis after the story broke about the discovery. He did not address the matter on stage nor his social media accounts.
Recent resurfaced videos from concerts held in July and August, particularly from a show on July 30 at The Warfield in San Francisco, show what appears to be a prop casket and a mock memorial used as part of D4vd’s stage performance.
The “Romantic Homicide” singer was scheduled to perform on Sept. 16 in Seattle, but the show was canceled just hours after Rivas’ body was identified.
Alleged photos of the singer in the area where Rivas once lived were also shared online. As examined by TMZ, the man in the photos appeared in Lake Elsinore, California, which is .3 miles, or a roughly six-minute walk, from the home where Rivas was living with her family before her disappearance in April 2024.
On Sept. 18, LAPD homicide detectives searched through a home rented by Josh Marshall, D4vd’s manager. The singer was reportedly living there based on photos and videos shared earlier this year that TMZ noted matched the home’s interior. During the search, detectives reportedly seized a computer and several bags of evidence.
This post will be updated.
