D4vd used chainsaw to dismember Celeste Rivas in his garage: prosecutors

According to legal documents, obtained by The California Post, investigators say the singer, real name David Burke, ordered an Uber to deliver Rivas from her family home in Lake Elsinore to his Hollywood Hills home on the night of April 23.

He then allegedly stabbed her to death and stood by while she bled out, the documents state.

The next day, Burke allegedly ordered a shovel from Home Depot from Postmates that was delivered to his home. On May 1, he allegedly ordered two chainsaws from Amazon that were delivered to his home, and on May 5 he allegedly ordered a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags and a blue inflatable pool, investigators claim.

via REUTERS

He allegedly made the purchases under a fake name of Victoria Mendez, according to the documents.

From there, investigators say Burke “took horrifying measures to destroy and discard the victim’s body.”

Burke allegedly placed Rivas’ body into the blue inflatable pool to prevent her blood from making a mess on his garage floor and used the chainsaw and perhaps other tools to cut off her limbs, according to the documents.

Investigators claim they found plastic fragments embedded in Rivas’ remains that matched those found on the pool purchased by Burke on Amazon.

Burke allegedly amputated Rivas’ left ring and pinky fingers because her ring finger contained a tattoo of his name — those fingers were never recovered — according to the documents.

AP

Investigators served a search warrant at Burkes home in September 2025 where they allegedly “discovered evidence consistent with the dismemberment of the victim’s body in the inflatable pool, which contained multiple linear cuts. Several biological samples, which tested positive for blood, were collected within the garage area,” according to the documents.

There’s also sickening details about how Burke and Rivas allegedly met when she was only 11 years old in January 2022. Investigators say the two then began a sexual relationship in November 2023 when Rivas was 13 and Burke was 18.

Investigators say the DNA matched that of Rivas.

David Burke at his arraignment, he pleaded not guilty. POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Burke was in court Wednesday for a procedural hearing where Burke’s attorney said she was concerned about the alleged evidence becoming public.

Last week it was revealed that a “significant” amount of child pornography was allegedly found on Burke’s iPhone after conducting a search of the device.

Investigators claimed to have gathered 40 terabytes of data through a lengthy investigation. They also revealed they conducted a wiretap.

Rivas, the 14-year-old girl allegedly killed by the singer, died from “multiple penetrating injuries” according to the Los Angeles County Corner’s Office.

Rivas’ dismembered body was discovered Sept. 8, 2025 in the trunk of a Tesla belonging to Burke.

Celeste Rivas GoFundMe

It took investigators several months to determine the cause and manner of death — reaching a conclusion on December 8, 2025.

Burke was charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances. The special circumstances included lying in wait, murder of a witness to an investigation and murder for financial gain.

He was also charged with lewd and lascivious sexual acts with an individual under 14 years old, and mutilating the human remains of a body.

The special circumstance of murder of a witness to an investigation happened because Rivas was a witness in the lewd-and-lascivious investigation.

Officials say the murder for financial gain circumstance was added because they believe Burke thought allegations of sexual relations with a minor could derail his music career.

Exclusive video obtained by The California Post shows the moment Burke was hauled away in cuffs from his Hollywood mansion. The singer dressed in black is flanked by officers.

Exclusive: Burke hauled off in cuffs by police in tactical gear. © California Post

Burke is being held in the infamous twin towers jail in downtown Los Angeles, the same place where Nick Reiner who is accused of killing his Hollywood mogul parents Rob and Michele is housed. He also had a hearing today in the same building.

Rivas’ parents broke their silence on the alleged crime in a statement issued by their attorney Patrick Steinfeld.

“The Rivas Hernandez family is absolutely devastated by the findings contained in the Medical Examiner’s Report involving the horrible and gruesome death of their beloved daughter,” it said.

Burke’s preliminary hearing is scheduled to start on Friday. He’s plead not guilty to all charges.