D4vd’s Rise to Fame and Fall From Grace: Key Moments
David Anthony Burke, better known by his stage name D4vd, has been arrested and charged with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The TikToker-turned-musician’s legal troubles have dominated headlines, but his climb to the top was pretty wild, too. We’ve collected key dates in his rise to fame and fall from grace.
2021: D4vd begins making music for TikTok to accompany his Fortnite videos
In 2021, when he was still a high school student, D4vd began posting videos to TikTok. Initially, the musician uploaded gaming videos focused on his love for Fortnite. When his videos were taken down for copyright infringement because of the background music, he began making his own music for them.
From there, he went viral, amassing a following interested in both his video game content and his music clips. The disgraced music artist has nearly 4 million followers on the platform. His content has been viewed over 20 billion times.
September 2022: D4vd signs with Interscope after his music goes viral on TikTok
D4vd’s music career got a massive boost in September 2022 when he signed with Interscope Records. The famed label bought into the hype around the musician’s viral TikTok clips. At just 17, he is believed to have received a $500,000 signing bonus. The contract guaranteed $3 million for an EP, according to TMZ.
In September 2025, the record label stopped promoting D4vd’s music. Months later, he was quietly dropped from the label altogether.
September 2023: D4vd begins sexually abusing Celeste Rivas Hernandez
In September 2023, D4vd and Celeste allegedly met for the first time. According to the Associated Press, investigators believe the sexual abuse of Celeste began on or around September 7, 2023, the teen’s 13th birthday.
While it remains unclear exactly how D4vd and Celeste met, online sleuths believe she was active in the musician’s Discord for months before the abuse began. D4vd was photographed in Lake Elsinore around this time.
February 2024: D4vd posts about having a “Valentine”
In early February 2024, D4vd took to TikTok to post about having a “Valentine.” It was one of the first times he mentioned his “girlfriend” on social media. While Celeste later appeared in multiple social media posts uploaded by D4vd, she was not seen in the initial post.
The TikTok coincides with one of the first missing person reports filed for Celeste Rivas Hernandez. It is unclear how that report was resolved, though it appears the teen did return home at some point before running away again.
April 2024: Celeste is reported missing for the last time
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s parents reported the teen missing from Lake Elsinore, California, in April 2024. Celeste, just 13 years old, had been reported missing twice before the April incident. She was also reported missing in February 2024, months after police believe D4vd began sexually abusing the teenager.
At the time, Celeste was deemed a runaway who appeared to have left of her own accord. Additional details about the investigation were not immediately available.
April 11, 2025: D4vd debuts at Coachella
On April 11, 2025, D4vd had a major career moment: he performed at Coachella for the first time. While his set drew attention, he also went viral for a rather embarrassing reason. According to TMZ, a video of D4vd performing went viral after he failed a backflip and landed on his face.
He got up and continued on as if nothing had happened. The set was considered his most successful to date at that point.
April 23, 2025: Celeste is heard from for the last time
Celeste Rivas Hernandez was last heard from on April 23, 2025. Authorities believe the teen was lured to D4vd’s home to talk on that date. While the wording is a bit vague, it sounds as if she may not have been staying with the musician at the time.
The presumed murder date was shared during a press conference to announce the charges against D4vd. Additional information, including the cause of death, was not provided.
April 25, 2025: D4vd releases his album, Withered
On April 25, just two days after investigators believe Celeste Rivas Hernandez was murdered by D4vd, he shared excited posts on social media surrounding the release of his much-anticipated album, Withered. The album, considered a strong first outing, sold 30,000 units during its first week.
The album was also considered a streaming success. It amassed over 500 million streams on Spotify. The artist garnered more interest after the gruesome discovery in his trunk, with millions of streams added afterward.
August 5, 2025: D4vd kicks off his world tour
On August 5, 2025, months after it is believed Celeste was murdered, D4vd kicked off the United States leg of his world tour. The musician played his first show in Del Mar, California. From there, he traversed the United States, with stops in more than a dozen cities.
D4vd and his entourage documented the tour up until the discovery of the body in the trunk of his vehicle. From there, uploads abruptly stopped, though he did not end his tour. In fact, he carried on as usual for several days after the discovery.
He played a show on September 15 in Portland, Oregon. The following day, he appeared in Seattle for another show but canceled additional legs of his tour, including a second planned Seattle show, shortly after the body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez was identified. The international leg of his tour was quietly axed, too.
September 8, 2025: Celeste’s remains are discovered inside D4vd’s Tesla
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s body was discovered inside the front trunk of a Tesla registered to David Anthony Burke. The Tesla was impounded days earlier after it violated a 72-hour parking rule in the Hollywood Hills’ “Bird Streets” neighborhood.
The car was parked minutes from the rental property where D4vd was living, but he was not in California when the gruesome discovery was made. D4vd was preparing to go onstage in Minneapolis at the time. He performed that evening and at several more shows before ultimately pulling the plug on his world tour after the remains were identified as Celeste.
April 20, 2026: D4vd is charged with first-degree murder and sex crimes
On April 16, LAPD officers from the Robbery-Homicide Division arrested David Anthony Burke at a rental property on Marmont Avenue. He was taken to the 77th Street Police Station, where he was held until April 20, when he was officially charged with the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
Along with a first-degree murder charge with special circumstances, D4vd has been charged with lewd and lascivious acts, as well as the mutilation of a corpse. During a press conference, District Attorney Nathan Hochman noted that investigators believe D4vd lured Celeste to his home and lay in wait for her on the night of her murder. He believes the murder was committed for financial gain.
