Summary of this article
Singer D4vd pleaded not guilty to the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
The body of the teenage girl was found in the artist’s Tesla in September.
D4vd was also charged with murder for "financial gain" and with murder of a witness to an investigation.
US singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, is accused of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose decomposing body was found in September in an abandoned Tesla.
Burke, 21, has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder in the death of Rivas Hernandez.
D4vd charged with murder
According to the BBC, D4vd was also charged with murder for "financial gain" and with murder of a witness to an investigation, the Los Angeles district attorney said.
He did not speak during his trial on Monday, which was his first court appearance since his arrest in the death case last week.
D4vd LA murder case hearing
In a Los Angeles courtroom, D4vd's defence team said it believed the "actual evidence will show that David did not kill Celeste" and he was not behind her death.
"We will vigorously defend David's innocence," attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter said in a statement to the BBC.
The deceased parents were also in the courtroom, but Burke was not visible.
In a statement to CBS News, Rivas Hernandez's family said it is "committed to ensuring that Celeste's voice is heard and her memory is honoured throughout this process".
In a press conference on Monday, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said that on April 23, 2025, Rivas Hernandez went to Burke's house in the Hollywood Hills and "she was never heard from again".
Her body was found on September 8, 2025 in a Tesla registered to Burke, court documents said. The authorities also discovered severed arms and legs inside, the documents said further.
"A parent's nightmare is a situation where your daughter goes out one night and never comes back," Hochman said.
