Court filings name Houston-area singer D4vd a grand jury target in Los Angeles teen death case

Grand jury inquiry disclosed through Texas subpoena litigation

Court records made public through litigation in Texas identify the Houston-area singer known professionally as D4vd as a “target” of a Los Angeles County grand jury investigation tied to the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

The documents concern efforts to compel testimony from close relatives living in Texas—his mother, father and brother—before a Los Angeles grand jury. The filings describe the investigation as involving a potential murder offense under California law. The singer, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, has not been charged.

What the court filings say about the underlying case

The investigation centers on the discovery of human remains in September 2025 inside a Tesla registered to Burke. The vehicle had been impounded at a tow yard in the Hollywood area after it was reported to be emitting a strong odor and attracting insects, prompting a police response and a search pursuant to a warrant.

The court filings describe the remains as severely decomposed and dismembered, found within bags in the vehicle’s front storage compartment. The identity of the remains was later confirmed as Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a teenager from Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, California, who had been reported missing in 2024.

Key details remain under legal restriction. The cause and manner of death have not been publicly disclosed in a full autopsy narrative, and the broader evidentiary record being presented to the grand jury is not public.

Procedural context: what “target” means and what it does not

The term “target,” as used in criminal investigative practice, generally indicates a person whom prosecutors believe may be implicated based on available evidence and who is the focus of investigative steps. It is not a criminal charge and does not itself establish guilt. Grand jury proceedings in California are typically secret, limiting what can be confirmed outside court filings that become public in related matters.

Status of the singer and the family subpoenas

The Texas proceedings involve whether the relatives can be required to appear and testify in California. The filings indicate the witnesses were served with grand jury subpoenas and that a court upheld enforcement as the family pursued appellate relief.

• D4vd has not been publicly named as a charged defendant in the case.
• The grand jury investigation is ongoing, and no public timeline for its conclusion has been set.
• The court record describes the Tesla as registered to Burke and connected to the discovery site through impound and search-warrant documentation.

The existence of a grand jury probe reflects continued prosecutorial review of evidence. Any criminal liability determination would depend on a grand jury decision, subsequent charges, and adjudication in court.

Burke rose to prominence in 2022 with viral tracks including “Romantic Homicide.” Public records tied to the investigation do not describe a motive, and they do not resolve how the victim came to be in the vehicle or when her death occurred. Those questions remain central to the continuing inquiry.