Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s Family Respond to D4vd’s Claims That He Is Indigent
The murder case against singer D4vd took a shocking turn this week. The TikTok star turned musician has changed up his legal team at the last minute, and it’s for an interesting reason. D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, requested a public defender after his high-powered team stepped down. He has stated that he is indigent. The family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old girl he’s accused of killing, has spoken out on the shift. They don’t buy that the once-rising star is broke.
D4vd has fired his legal team
D4vd appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom Monday for what was expected to be a routine pretrial hearing. Instead, his attorneys met privately with Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo. Blair Berk, who served as the singer’s lead attorney, emerged from the meeting and told the court her client wanted to be represented by a public defender. When the judge asked D4vd directly whether that was his wish, he simply replied, “Yes.”
The court determined that D4vd did qualify for a public defender. Berk and her co-counsel, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter, confirmed in a statement that they had stepped down from the case. The statement went on to claim that they “continue to support David and his defense against these serious charges.”
Attorney Walid Kandeel has been appointed to represent Burke going forward. Following the switch, Burke pleaded not guilty to all three criminal counts against him: first-degree murder with special circumstances, lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14, and mutilating a body.
D4vd’s switch to a public defender at a pretrial hearing echoes the switch Nick Reiner made to a public defender at his arraignment. Reiner is accused of killing his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, in another high-profile LAPD murder case.
Celeste’s Family Says They’re Not Buying It
While a court has found that D4vd is unable to fund his own defense, Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s family is simply not buying it. Following the switch, Patrick Steinfeld, the family’s attorney, spoke to TMZ about what happened. He said that the family was “shocked” that the artist claims to be indigent. The family pointed to Burke’s successful and lucrative career as a content creator and musician as evidence that he could, theoretically, fund a defense.
Steinfeld went on to say, “It is unfathomable that our justice system qualifies David Anthony Burke as indigent when D4VD has 5+ billion streams with 16 million monthly listeners on a single streaming platform, and controls three corporations.” The family, through their rep, accused the musician of hiding money in his corporations. It is unclear what would motivate him to do so.
What do the charges stem from?
David Anthony Burke faces the potential of life in prison if convicted on the series of very serious charges, including first-degree murder with special circumstances. The charges stem from the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose body was discovered inside the trunk of D4vd’s car in September of 2025.
The medical examiner’s office ruled her cause of death as multiple penetrating injuries. Prosecutors allege the two were involved in an illegal sexual relationship that began when Celeste was 13 and Burke was 18, and that he killed her after she threatened to expose it. They allege he lured her to his home, stabbed her and then dismembered her body inside the garage of his rented Hollywood Hills home.
D4vd was arrested in April and charged days later. He has pleaded not guilty, but is being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility without bail as he awaits trial. His next court appearance is set for October 19.
