David Anthony Burke, the 21-year-old singer known as D4vd, appeared on August 31, 2026, in a Los Angeles court without the team of female attorneys who had defended him since last October.
Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter asked Judge Charlaine Olmedo to be relieved from the case without publicly explaining why. The court evaluated the singer’s financial situation and determined something that surprises anyone familiar with his career: David qualifies as indigent. He is now represented by Walid Fouad Kandeel, a county public defender.
D4vd is accused of first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a minor, and mutilation of human remains following the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernández, whose body was found in the trunk of his Tesla. He pleaded not guilty. District Attorney Nathan Hochman confirmed that the death penalty remains on the table, although he has not yet decided whether to seek it. The next hearing, on October 19, will determine whether the trial begins in 90 days.
