Following unsealed court filings connected to a Texas appellate case, new details have come to light in the reported 2025 killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The documents, which relate to a Los Angeles County grand jury investigation into the rapper, real name David Burke, indicate that prosecutors have formally identified D4vd as the investigation’s “target.”
According to the records, as cited by Los Angeles Magazine, authorities allege that Hernandez was dismembered and placed inside a cadaver bag that was later found in a vehicle registered to Burke.
Court records show that the filings were initially sealed in Los Angeles but became public during related appellate proceedings in Texas, where members of Burke’s family contested subpoenas requiring them to testify before a California grand jury. Because the Texas writ case was not sealed, portions of the California documents were accessible through that docket.
The records state that Hernandez’s remains were discovered on Sept. 8, 2025, inside a cadaver bag concealed in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke. The vehicle had been impounded after it was found abandoned. Tow yard workers contacted authorities after detecting a strong odor, prompting investigators to secure a warrant. Upon searching the vehicle, detectives reportedly found severely decomposed remains inside the trunk compartment, including additional body parts placed in a separate bag.
D4vd has also been identified as a “target” of a grand jury murder investigation in connection with the 2025 death of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, according to newly unsealed court records.
The filings say the 20-year-old singer may be involved in one count of murder under California Penal Code section 187(a), as reported by LA Mag.
No indictment has been announced, and D4vd has not been charged with any crimes.
The magazine also reported the records became public after the D4vd’s father, Dawud, who is based in Texas, challenged subpoenas requiring him, his wife Colleen, and son Caleb to testify before a California grand jury. The family was served on January 15 for a February 11 appearance, with California prosecutors invoking the Uniform Act to compel their testimony.
After hearings on January 23 and February 2 in Waller County, Texas, a judge ordered them to appear. Dawud filed a habeas petition claiming the subpoena violated his due process rights, noting that key affidavits were partially redacted and withheld, including material he said was needed to show his testimony was “material and necessary.”
The trial court denied relief, and on February 9 the Texas First Court of Appeals upheld the order. The family had until February 24 to seek further action, but no new filings appeared.
As the related writ proceedings in Texas were not sealed, portions of the California filings became accessible through a Texas appellate docket. The documents were first discovered on a public Texas court website after a Reddit user alerted LA Mag’s Lauren Conlin to their availability.
Hernandez's decomposed remains were discovered on September 8, 2025, inside the front trunk of a Tesla registered to the singer after tow yard employees contacted police after detecting a foul odor.
Detectives obtained a search warrant and, upon opening the front compartment, found a cadaver bag containing a decomposed head and torso. According to the documents, additional severed body parts were found inside a second black bag beneath it.
The vehicle had been impounded days earlier after being found abandoned in the Hollywood Hills.