D4vd Pleads Not Guilty, Swaps In Public Defender
D4vd Pleads Not Guilty, Swaps In Public Defender
The News
Singer D4vd — legal name David Anthony Burke, 21 — pleaded not guilty Monday to murder and other charges in the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, and stunned a Los Angeles courtroom by dropping his private defense team for the county public defender's office.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo entered the not guilty pleas after granting the switch, and ordered all parties back to court on Oct. 19.
Defense attorney Blair Berk told the court her client wanted the public defender. "Is that your wish, Mr. Burke," Olmedo asked. He answered, "Yes."
The Allegations
Prosecutors say Burke repeatedly sexually assaulted the teenage fan before killing her and dismembering her body to cover up the abuse, and that he killed her to protect a rising music career.
They have argued he used a chainsaw to sever Hernandez's limbs in his garage in April 2025 and tried to collect the blood in a kiddie pool, and that he amputated two of her fingers to hide a pair of matching tattoos.
Text messages presented in court showed Burke impregnated the girl and that she had an abortion, according to evidence described by prosecutors. The night before police believe she was killed, the evidence showed, the two argued and she told him she would "end ur career and ur life I will damage anything."
Burke's former lawyers scored points of their own at the preliminary hearing: police never recovered any of the tools he allegedly used, there are no witnesses to the killing, and on cross-examination a medical examiner conceded he could not absolutely rule out that Hernandez was holding the weapon or tried to harm herself.
Timeline
Los Angeles police found the remains of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 14, in the trunk of a Tesla impounded at Hollywood Tow, after reports of a foul odor coming from the vehicle.
Burke was arrested at a house on Marmont Avenue in the Hollywood Hills, police said. He was arraigned four days later, on April 20.
At a preliminary hearing his own team demanded early, prosecutors put on a week of evidence, including years of text messages, receipts for online orders of tools that could be used for body disposal, and forensic analysis showing evidence of blood in his garage.
Olmedo ordered Burke to stand trial.
Burke pleaded not guilty and replaced attorneys Berk and Marilyn Bednarski with lawyers from the L.A. County public defender's office. Olmedo held a hearing in chambers on the reason for the change and sealed the transcript.
Reactions
A spokeswoman for the L.A. County Public Defender's Office said she was "not at liberty to disclose financial information," but that a thorough evaluation of Burke's finances confirmed he was eligible for the office's services.
"We recognize the loss of life underlying the allegations and extend our sympathies to those who are grieving," Deputy Public Defender Walid Kandeel said in a statement. "At the same time, David Burke is entitled to a defense that takes his circumstances seriously and carefully examines the evidence. We are committed to providing him with that defense."
Berk, Bednarski and attorney Regina Peter said in a written statement: "We continue to support David and his defense against these serious charges. We are grateful that the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office has taken over the representation and that David has a highly capable and committed team of attorneys and investigators behind him." They declined outside court to explain the switch.
The New York Post and TMZ both reported the change as a sign the singer has run out of money to pay private counsel. Burke was signed to a multimillion-dollar recording deal when Hernandez died and had already collected millions from it, according to evidence at the preliminary hearing; Interscope dropped him late last year.
What's Next
Burke's new lawyers take over a case already past its preliminary hearing, with the next court date set for Oct. 19. No trial date has been announced.
The transcript of Monday's in-chambers hearing on the reason for the switch remains sealed.
More
It is the second time this year a public defender has replaced a high-priced attorney in a Los Angeles celebrity murder case. Former county prosecutor Alan Jackson dropped out earlier this year as the lawyer for Nick Reiner, charged with murdering his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner; court records show Reiner has struggled to access his family trust fund.
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