By — Andrew Dalton, Associated Press Andrew Dalton, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/singer-d4vd-charged-with-murder-of-14-year-old-found-decomposed-in-his-car Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Singer D4vd charged with murder of 14-year-old found decomposed in his car Arts Apr 20, 2026 2:42 PM EDT LOS ANGELES (AP) — Singer D4vd has been charged with murder in the death of a 14-year-old girl who was last known to be alive nearly a year ago and whose dismembered and decomposed body was found in September in his apparently abandoned Tesla, prosecutors said Monday. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said the 21-year-old D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. She was reported missing by her family in 2024, when she was 13. Authorities, who described her Monday as a "runaway," said she was 14 when she was killed. The murder charges included special circumstances — lying in wait, committing crime for financial gain and murdering the witness in an investigation — that could carry the death penalty. Prosecutors haven't announced whether they will seek it. Burke is also charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14 and mutilating a body. Attorneys for the Houston-born alt-pop singer said he was innocent in a statement released after homicide detectives arrested him on Thursday at a home in Hollywood. "Let us be clear — the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death," the lawyers said. A new request for comment to Burke's lawyers on the charges was not immediately answered. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman speaks during a Mondays news conference about the arrest of