D4vd’s Dark Turn: From Gen Z Idol to Alleged Killer

Rolling Stone surveys D4vd (David Burke), a Gen Z pop star whose meteoric rise is shadowed by allegations that he sexually abused 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, stabbed her to death in his Hollywood Hills home, and dismembered her body to cover up the crime. Prosecutors point to a year-long pattern of abuse, a pregnancy and abortion, and a premeditated disposal of evidence in a Tesla; online chats, alter-ego imagery, and other evidence are cited as part of the case. Burke was arrested in April 2025 on charges including first-degree murder and continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, facing life in prison or the death penalty if convicted, with a trial date not yet set.