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Musician D4vd arrested on suspicion of murder of 14-year-old girl

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · · 254 words · By Reuters
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What to know about Musician D4vd arrested on suspicion of murder of 14-year-old girl

By Daniel Trotta Rivas, who was from a suburb about 70 miles (110 km) southeast of Los Angeles, had been missing for nearly a year and a half when her decomposed remains were discovered in September 2025.

Claims checked 7
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left11%
Center78%
Right11%

9 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

By Daniel Trotta Rivas, who was from a suburb about 70 miles (110 km) southeast of Los Angeles, had been missing for nearly a year and a half when her decomposed remains were discovered in September 2025.

Why it matters

The vehicle had been parked for weeks in a Hollywood Hills neighborhood before being towed to an impound lot, where workers reported a foul odor, police have said.

Common ground

D4vd gained fame in 2022 after songs he recorded on his phone for his Fortnite gaming videos went viral on TikTok, with the hit "Romantic Homicide" helping him sign a deal with Darkroom/Interscope Records, a label associated with Billie Eilish.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-17-musician-d4vd-arrested-on-sus…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 4
check_circle Corroborated 3
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Claim 1: “the hit "Romantic Homicide" helping him sign a deal with Darkroom/Interscope Records, a label associated with Billie Eilish.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia confirms D4vd's debut EP was released through Darkroom and Interscope Records. The success of 'Romantic Homicide' is widely documented as the catalyst for his career.
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web search NEUTRAL — Romantic Homicide by d4vd song meaning, lyric interpretation, video and chart position.
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/d4vd/romantic-homicide
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web search NEUTRAL — Arrest follows months-long investigation. The case drew attention following media reports that linked Burke to the vehicle shortly after the girl's body was found. Police said at the time they were co…
https://www.trtworld.com/article/ecec1fb42b37
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web search NEUTRAL — GET TICKETS TO MY HOUSE IS NOT A HOME TOUR: https://d4vd.lnk.to/housetour "Romantic Homicide" available now: https://d4vd.lnk.to/RomanticHomicideWatch the of...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpO31FVxxb4
verified
Claim 2: “The vehicle had been parked for weeks in a Hollywood Hills neighborhood before being towed to an impound lot, where workers reported a foul odor, police have said.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia confirms the remains were found inside the front trunk of an impounded Tesla registered to David Burke, which aligns with the claim that the vehicle was towed to an impound lot.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is a 2024 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Mark Molloy (in his feature film directorial debut) and written by Will Beall, Tom Gormican, and Kevin Etten from …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Hills_Cop:_Axel_F
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Beverly Hills Cop is a film franchise of American action comedy films and an unaired television pilot based on characters created by Daniel Petrie Jr. and Danilo Bach. The films star Eddie Murphy as A…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Hills_Cop_(franchise)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Hollywood Hills is a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. It borders Studio City, Universal City and Burbank on the north, Griffith Park on the north and east…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Hills
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 3: “Rivas, who was from a suburb about 70 miles (110 km) southeast of Los Angeles, had been missing for nearly a year and a half when her decomposed remains were discovered in September 2025.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia explicitly confirms that the remains of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez were discovered on September 8, 2025, in Los Angeles.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sylmar is a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley and the northernmost neighborhood within the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. Historically known for its profusion of sylvan…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylmar,_Los_Angeles
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of notable people who were either born in, lived in, are current residents of, or are otherwise closely associated with the city or county of Los Angeles, California. Those not…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Los_Angele…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The politics of Los Angeles County leans Democratic. Los Angeles County has voted Democratic in every Presidential election since 1988, with every Democratic nominee winning the county by a margin of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Los_Angeles_County
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 4: “D4vd gained fame in 2022 after songs he recorded on his phone for his Fortnite gaming videos went viral on TikTok”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and Famous Birthdays, confirm D4vd began composing music in 2021 for Fortnite gameplay and gained viral fame on TikTok in 2022.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — David Anthony Burke (born March 28, 2005), known professionally as D4vd, is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New York City and raised in Houston, Texas, Burke began composing music in 2021 for h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D4vd
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On September 8, 2025, the remains of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez were discovered in Los Angeles, California, inside the front trunk of an impounded Tesla registered to David Burke, a musician …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Celeste_Rivas_Herna…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Petals to Thorns is the debut extended play by American singer-songwriter D4vd, released on May 26, 2023, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. The EP was primarily recorded in his sister's closet …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petals_to_Thorns
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 5: “Burke was being held without bail and his case will be presented to prosecutors on Monday”
CORROBORATED
Two independent news sources (Vaulted Mag and The Guardian) confirm that Burke was held without bail and that his case would be presented to the District Attorney's office on Monday.
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web search NEUTRAL — David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New York City and raised in Houston, Texas, Burke began composing music in 2021 for his Fortnite gameplay m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D4vd
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Burke is being held without bail,” authorities said. “The case will be presented to the District Attorney’s office on Monday for filing consideration.”
https://www.vaultedmag.com/d4vd-arrested-and-held-without-ba…
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web search NEUTRAL — Police said Burke’s case will be presented to the district attorney’s office on Monday.“Prosecutors will review the facts and evidence to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to file charges…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/16/singer-d4vd-…
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Claim 6: “Detectives from Los Angeles Police Department, Robbery‑Homicide Division have arrested David Burke, a 21‑year‑old resident of Los Angeles, for the murder of Celeste Rivas”
CORROBORATED
The arrest of 21-year-old David Burke by the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division for the murder of Celeste Rivas is confirmed by both a news cross-reference (Nypost) and Wikipedia.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The City of Los Angeles Police Department, also known as the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Police_Department
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Rampart Division of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) serves communities to the west of Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) including Silver Lake, Echo Park, Pico-Union and Westlake, all together d…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAPD_Rampart_Division
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Special Investigation Section (SIS), unofficially nicknamed the "Death Squad", is the tactical detective and surveillance unit of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). It is organized under th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAPD_Special_Investigation_Sec…
+ 1 more evidence source
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Claim 7: “Blair Berk, the attorney representing David Burke”
CORROBORATED
Multiple cross-references from Nypost identify Blair Berk as one of the attorneys representing David Burke.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — The singer’s attorneys, Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter also spoke out following the arrest
https://nypost.com/2026/04/16/us-news/d4vd-arrested-on-murde…
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cross reference SUPPORTS — attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter said in a joint statement
https://nypost.com/2026/04/17/us-news/disturbing-look-inside…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.