LOS ANGELES — Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old girl singer D4vd is charged with killing, died from penetrating wounds to her upper body, according to an autopsy report released Wednesday (April 22).
Her death was ruled a homicide in the report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office that had been blocked from release for months.
The autopsy was limited by “extensive postmortem changes” to the body that was dismembered and decomposing when it was found in two bags in the trunk of a Tesla parked in the Hollywood Hills in September.
The examination revealed “two penetrating wounds of the torso with smooth edges that may represent sharp force injuries.” One wound on the upper abdomen penetrated the liver. Another, on the left chest, damaged her ribs. A tube top she was wearing appeared to be cut in three places.
A judge had ordered the report sealed late last year at the request of law enforcement, but prosecutors agreed this week to allow its release.
The 21-year-old alt-pop singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, was charged in the killing Monday. He pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14 and mutilating a dead body. Burke’s attorneys said he did not cause Rivas Hernandez’s death and they will vigorously defend his innocence.
The girl’s parents made their first public comments on Tuesday night, thanking investigators for their work and the people of their hometown of Lake Elsinore, California, for their support. Lake Elsinore is about 70 miles (112 kilometres) southeast of Los Angeles.
“Celeste was a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance. Every Friday night was movie night and we spent wonderful times together,” Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez said. “We love her very much and she always told us that she loved us. We miss her deeply. All we want is justice for Celeste.”
Prosecutors allege Burke killed Rivas Hernandez because she threatened to report they had a sexual relationship that began when she was 13 years old and he feared it would ruin his rising career.
A criminal complaint alleges he killed her with a sharp object and dismembered the body about two weeks later.
Medical Examiner’s investigators called to the scene where the body was found discovered her torso and head in a black, zippered body bag in the Tesla’s trunk, with arms and legs in a separate trash bag.
Her body had so degraded that examiners couldn’t even determine her eye colour. She had braces at the time of her death, and a tattoo that read “Shhh….” on the inside of a finger, according to the report. Two other fingers were missing – as were parts of her arms and legs.
Toxicology tests on the liver showed a low level of alcohol, but it may have been due to postmortem chemical changes and didn’t appear to be a factor, the report said.
LA County’s Chief Medical Examiner Dr Odey C Ukpo has sought to emphasise his agency’s independence from law enforcement and to make its work as public as possible since he took over the job three years ago. He has said he does not believe sealing reports of his office’s work helps investigations and has said he would only put holds on releasing the reports if compelled by a court order.
“After several months, I am grateful this information can now be released, not only to the public, but also to the grieving family enduring loss,” Ukpo said in a statement Wednesday. “It is unfathomable they have had to wait this long to learn what happened to their daughter.”
D4vd, pronounced “David,” gained popularity among young fans for his blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. He went viral on TikTok in 2022 with the hit Romantic Homicide, which peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. He released his debut EP Petals to Thorns and a follow-up, The Lost Petals, in 2023.
His debut full-length album, Withered, was released one year ago, two days after the date prosecutors estimate that Rivas Hernandez was killed.
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