D4vd's Murder Trial: Death Penalty on the Line

0:00It's April 20th. Welcome to Tampa Bay News today, powered by AI. I'm Corey, with the story. Singer David, the 21-year-old rapper whose real name is David Burke, faces first-degree murder charges in the death of 14-year-old. Celeste Rivas Hernandez, her dismembered and decomposed body, turned up inside his Tesla back in September 2025. Prosecutors in Los Angeles County also hid him with counts of lewd acts on a minor under 14 and mutilating a body. The murder charge comes with heavy special circumstances, like lying in weight, financial gain, and killing a witness, which could mean the death penalty. If they pursue it, Celeste went missing in 2024 at just 13 years old, reported by her family from Lake Elsinore, about 70 miles southeast of LA. Meanwhile, cops didn't name Burke publicly as a suspect until his arrest followed a secret grand jury probe. His relatives in Texas fought subpoenas to testify, and the Tesla was registered there too.

1:01It sat abandoned in Hollywood Hills until towed on September 8th. Searchers at the towyard found a cadaver bag crawling with insects and wreaking of decay, unzipped to reveal her head and torso. Birch lawyers say they'll fight hard to prove his innocence. This case has already derailed his US tour. He canceled the last two shows and a whole European leg once the news hit. As the legal battle heats up, we'll see if prosecutors push for the ultimate penalty or how his defense shakes out.