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D4vd update: Big 'death penalty' decision coming; ‘financial gain’ motive behind Celste Rivas murder
Nathan Hochman says D4vd faces first-degree murder in Celeste Rivas case could risk life or death penalty. The DA said the murder was for “financial gain”
In a big update on the probe into the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the Los Angeles County district attorney charged singer D4vd of first-degree murder. The singer was arrested on Thursday, and the charges were announced by the DA's office on Monday.
LA district attorney Nathan Hochman announced that D4vd has been charged with first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious behavior with an individual under 14, and sexual abuse. He noted that the singer could face life imprisonment and even death penalty if convicted. Additionally, Hochman said that the murder was committed under special circumstances for “financial gain.”
Could D4vd Face Death Penalty? DA's Office To Make Big Decision
The District Attorney said on Monday that the charges against D4vd include first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious behavior with a person under 14, sexual abuse and others. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment and even death penalty in Los Angeles, Hochman said.
Also read: D4vd case update: Key gap in Blair Berk's legal experience could go against singer, report reveals
However, he noted that the DA's office has not yet decided on whether they will pursue a death penalty for the singer, noting that a decision on it will be taken "at a later date."
Whether or not D4vd faces death penalty will be revealed when he makes his first court appearance after the filing of charges.
'Financial Gain' Motive: 'Special Circumstances' of D4vd's Death
The DA revealed that the first-degree murder charges against D4vd include a "special circumstances" clause. He alleged that the singer committed the murder for "financial gain" through the "murder of a witness" (Celeste Rivas Hernandez) as she would have jeopardized his "lucrative music career."
Hochman said that Celeste Rivas Hernandez was last seen visiting the singer's home in Hollywood Hills on April 28, 2025. The remains of her dismembered body were found on September 8, 2025.
“As the evidence will show in court, the financial gain was for Mr. Burke to maintain his very lucrative musical career that Celeste was threatening on that particular night,” DA Hochman said. "The third charge, in addition to lying in wait and for financial gain, is murdering a witness to an investigation.
“In this particular case, as the evidence will come out in court, the witness to the investigation was Celeste, and the investigation was into the lewd and lascivious sexual acts committed by Mr. Burke.”
Celeste Rivas Hernandez Case
Celeste Rivas Hernandez was reported missing multiple times between February 2024 and April 2024 from Lake Elsinore, California. Her body was discovered from inside an abandoned Tesla that D4vd owned from a Hollywood Hills towing lot.
Initially, D4vd was not named as a suspect and a representative of the singer said that he was “fully cooperating.” Eventually, an LA County grand jury investigating the case named the singer as a suspect earlier this year.
