Pop star D4vd replaces private lawyers with LA public defender amid murder trial
Musician David Anthony Burke, known as D4vd, has dismissed his private counsel and will now be defended by the Los Angeles County public defender’s office in the murder case of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
David Anthony Burke, the 21-year-old artist performing as D4vd, formally switched from private lawyers Blair Berk and Marilyn Bednarski to the Los Angeles County public defender’s office during a post-preliminary hearing. Judge Charlaine Olmedo approved the request, though officials have not explained how a financially successful musician qualifies for public representation. Burke maintains a not-guilty plea to the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, amid allegations of repeated sexual assault, pregnancy, and dismemberment to conceal the crime.
Prosecutors have submitted months of text messages detailing the illicit relationship, purchase receipts for potential dismemberment tools, and blood evidence found in Burke’s garage. The defense previously argued that investigators never recovered the alleged tools and that no witness directly observed the killing. The case follows a recent similar public-defender substitution in another high-profile Los Angeles murder trial.
Why it matters
The switch to a public defender raises questions about legal strategy and resource allocation in a high-profile murder case.
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