By Rosie Lu
Singer-songwriter David Anthony Burke, better known as d4vd, began songwriting and singing to create background music for his Fortnite videos on YouTube. Eventually, he transitioned to TikTok, where his 2022 singles “Here With Me” and “Romantic Homicide” went viral, marking the beginning of his career. D4vd’s genre-bending music deeply resonated with Gen-Z audiences due to its emphasis on raw, unfiltered emotion.
Fans once praised Burke for his insightful and heartbreaking lyrics, but recent events have shifted admiration into unease. One of the 20-year-old artist’s most popular tracks, “Romantic Homicide,” describes the aftermath of a breakup rooted in unrequited love. Through emotional lines like “in the back of my mind, I killed you,” Burke expresses the resentment and distance he felt towards his ex, though some speculate that the singer “killed” in a literal sense.
According to NBC News, the controversy began when Hollywood locals noticed a foul odor from the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke. After residents contacted authorities, the Los Angeles police found a decomposed body inside—later identified as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been reported missing three times in 2024.
Though the LAPD has not filed charges against any individual, several reported details point to a close connection between the singer and the deceased teenager. Allegedly, real photos online depict both individuals with matching “Shhh..” tattoos on their right index fingers. Celeste’s mother has also claimed that her daughter had a boyfriend named David. Furthermore, Discord screenshots from 2022, when Celeste would have been only 11, seem to show a conversation indicating a connection between the two, though their legitimacy remains unverified. According to the LA Times, the police seized electronics and computers from Burke’s home to confirm the nature of their relationship.
Following the discovery of Celeste’s body, Burke canceled most stops of the “Withered” World Tour. Currently, the case remains under investigation, classified as a homicide with no arrests yet. At the time of publication of this story, David Burke has not been charged with any crime. As the investigation unfolds, the world is left asking: guilty secrets or tragic coincidence?