Rolling Stone examines the case against musician D4vd (David Anthony Burke), who has been charged with murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Prosecutors allege Burke sexually abused Rivas Hernandez for over a year, got her pregnant at 13 and guided her through an abortion, then stabbed and dismembered her to conceal the abuse. The case has shocked fans and industry figures who saw the rising streaming-era star as a sensitive, charismatic performer, and has prompted renewed scrutiny of the violent, morbid imagery running through his music and persona.

Rivas Hernandez's decomposed remains were found in September 2025 in the boot of Burke's impounded Tesla, one day after what would have been her 15th birthday; a detective testified she was unrecognisable. Burke, whose breakthrough hit was titled "Romantic Homicide" and who performed under a blood-splattered alter ego called Itami ("pain" in Japanese), was arrested and charged with murder in April 2026 following a lengthy investigation. The article draws on interviews with fans, associates and, for the first time, a source from his former record label, Darkroom/Interscope, who said the label was blindsided and that Burke had appeared professionally "locked in" around the time of the alleged killing.