Arrests

D4vd will head to court this month for his preliminary hearing in Celeste Rivas' murder case.

The singer -- whose legal name is David Anthony Burke -- has been charged with killing the teenager. But you may be wondering when everything went down ... and how they even met in the first place.

TMZ's got everything you need to know about D4vd and Celeste. Here's how the prosecutors say the timeline breaks down:

According to the brief filed by prosecutors on April 29 ... D4vd and Celeste first met when she was 11 years old.

Celeste's former teacher -- who tells TMZ he taught her at Lakeland Village School in Lake Elsinore, California -- claims the two met on social media.

The brief claims D4vd and Celeste began a sexual relationship the following November -- when he was 18 and she was only 13 years old.

The court doc doesn't elaborate on the accusation or say how prosecutors arrived at this allegation.

You can see Celeste and D4vd on a January 2024 livestream together ... answering fans' questions. At one point, you can hear Celeste encourage D4vd to respond to a specific comment.

According to prosecutors ... Celeste's family reported her missing to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

The D.A. says the RCSD called D4vd on February 17 because they found his number in Celeste's phone records.

On the phone, D4vd allegedly told authorities he hadn't talked to Celeste since February 13 or 14 ... and claimed he was unaware she was missing ... or that she was a minor.

That night, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department went to D4vd's West Hollywood rental house, where he told them he'd only met Celeste in person once the previous November ... according to the brief.

The doc alleges that during this visit, D4vd showed deputies a yearbook photo of Celeste that he had on his phone.

According to the brief ... Celeste returned home to Lake Elsinore just two days after L.A. County deputies visited D4vd's home.

It notes that D4vd told officers during the welfare check at his home that he didn't know where Celeste was during the period in which she was missing.

According to the filing ... D4vd "continued to pursue" Celeste ... even though both RCSD and LASD had allegedly informed him that she was a minor.

The brief says Celeste's parents took her phone away after she returned home. After this, D4vd allegedly drove to Lake Elsinore to pay a junior high student $1000 to give Celeste a phone he had bought for her.

A photo obtained by TMZ in September 2025 shows D4vd near the victim's home in Lake Elsinore, interacting with a man holding a brown bag ... but it's unclear if the pic is from his alleged visit in February of that year.

And as we previously reported, a TikTok commenter accused D4vd of "messing with a 13-year-old" ... and Celeste was 13 at the time of the post.

According to prosecutors, Celeste's family reported her missing again ... just months after the last time she'd been missing.

The missing-person poster says she was last seen when she left the house on April 5 at 9 PM.

The L.A. County D.A. claims that Celeste was with D4vd a lot "throughout 2024" ... allegedly spending summer weekends at his Hollywood Hills home and taking trips with him to Las Vegas, Texas, and London. The document specifies Celeste allegedly travelled to Texas to meet D4vd's family.

D4vd seemed to describe a couple of these alleged trips in an April 2025 interview with online magazine Songwriter Universe ... when he mentioned a trip he took to London with three "friends." He added that he went to Houston for two weeks after that.

According to prosecutors ... alleged texts confirm D4vd and Celeste were in a sexual relationship. The filing alleges messages contain references to sex, pregnancy, abortion, and the use of Plan B emergency contraceptive.

It also says there were "explicit photos" that documented and corroborated their sexual relationship.

The filing claims D4vd and Celeste broke up in November 2024, but doesn't elaborate on the nature or circumstances of the alleged breakup.

But, it did claim that they stayed in touch ... and their alleged texts suggest they were still having "sexual relations."

According to the brief ... texts allegedly show D4vd and Celeste had a "lengthy argument." In the alleged messages, Celeste was seemingly jealous that D4vd had relationships with other women ... the filing says.

The brief continues, claiming Celeste threatened to disclose "damaging information" about her relationship with D4vd with the alleged goal of ruining his life and career.

Prosecutors believe this is the "likely date" Celeste died ... according to the brief. It notes that all her cell phone activity stopped this night.

At Approximately 8:40 PM

The filing says D4vd sent an Uber to bring Celeste from Lake Elsinore to his place in the Hollywood Hills, in Los Angeles.

At Approximately 10:10 PM

Celeste was allegedly dropped off at D4vd's Hollywood Hills home. The brief claims that "very soon after her arrival at his home" the singer stabbed Celeste to death multiple times and stood by while she bled out.

The filing says D4vd did not attempt to save her life ... he didn't call 911 or bring Celeste to the emergency room.

At Approximately 10:30 PM

D4vd sent texts to Celeste asking where she was ... according to the brief. Prosecutors argue this was his "premeditated plan to cover up the murder, as she was already dead by this time."

At Approximately 11:30 PM

The brief says D4vd texted and called Celeste to once again ask where she was ... as he left his home in his Tesla and allegedly drove north to Santa Barbara County.

D4vd drove home from Santa Barbara County and returned to L.A. ... and went to a radio interview to plug his upcoming album, according to the filing.

The doc claims he texted Celeste two more times that day, "which obviously went unanswered because she was already dead." It also says he ordered a shovel from Home Depot that was delivered to his home by Postmates that same day.

D4vd released his first studio album, "Withered."

The brief notes that D4vd never attempted to contact Celeste again after this day ... but doesn't specify what attempt he made on the 26th, if any.

According to the filing, D4vd ordered two chainsaws to his home ... allegedly making this purchase under the fake name "Victoria Mendez."

The brief says the singer also ordered a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags, and a blue inflatable pool to his Hollywood Hills house.

It claims these purchases were also sent to his home ... and ordered under the same pseudonym as the chainsaws.

According to prosecutors ... D4vd made two more trips to Santa Barbara County. The first time, it says he left his home around 11:30 PM May 8.

The filing alleges he went back on May 31. It doesn't specify when he came back to L.A. either time.

The doc says D4vd made another purchase under the Victoria Mendez alias a couple months after his other alleged purchases ... this time ordering a "burn cage" -- a portable outdoor incinerator -- from Amazon. Prosecutors claim this device was part of his plan to "incinerate evidence."

According to the brief ... surveillance footage and "other evidence" shows D4vd was the last person to drive his Tesla before parking it approximately 400 feet from his home ... where it was eventually towed from months later, in September.

D4vd's "Withered World Tour" kicked off in Del Mar, California in August. The run was scheduled to hit several cities -- in the U.S. as well as Europe -- and wrap on November 4, 2025.

According to the brief, Celeste's body was found "dismembered" in the front trunk of D4vd's Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard ... after being towed there on September 5.

Documents say the manager said they noticed a strong smell of decay and the presence of flies coming from the Tesla, and called LAPD ... who ultimately confirmed the car was registered to D4vd.

The brief says detectives found a black body bag "covered in insects" in the front trunk ... with a "severely decomposed" head and torso inside.

It notes there was also a plastic garbage bag under the body bag that contained dismembered arms and legs.

The body's left ring and pinky fingers had been amputated, and weren't found in the car ... according to the brief.

As we previously reported, D4vd was business as usual the next day ... hitting the stage at The Fillmore Minneapolis, continuing on the tour as planned.

According to prosecutors ... the body from D4vd's trunk was "positively identified" as Celeste Rivas, based on her dental records.

Celeste's mom told TMZ at the time ... her daughter had a boyfriend named David and a tattoo on her finger that says "Shhh..." -- which matched the one in the police description of her body.

LAPD served a search warrant for D4vd's home after the medical examiner identified Celeste ... prosecutors say.

At the time, law enforcement sources told TMZ the cops used luminol to look for blood during the search.

Also on this day, TMZ identifies that D4vd has same "Shhh..." ink on the same finger of his own hand. The first photo where you see the tattoo on D4vd is from September 2024. It's unclear when Celeste got hers.

D4vd pulled the plug on his U.S. tour with only two dates left on the leg. He eventually went on to scrap his European and UK shows.

Additionally, D4vd's label decided to pump the brakes on plugging the deluxe version of his album.

TMZ reports that D4vd yanked his "bloody shirt" merch from his website at some point between September 17 and September 19 as police continued to investigate Celeste's death.

According to prosecutors ... the medical examiner ruled Celeste Rivas' death was a homicide.

The filing says the young teen died from "two penetrating injuries to the torso."

Rolling Stone reports D4vd was quietly dropped by Interscope Records, but doesn't specify exactly when.

The publication said artists like Kali Uchis, Holly Humberstone, Laufey, and Damiano David pulled their collabs with him from streaming services.

According to prosecutors ... a Caltrans worker found Celeste's passport card off the SR-154 in Santa Barbara County near Painted Cave Road, about 100 miles northwest of the Hollywood Hills. Caltrans says CHP came and collected Celeste's passport card ... and then detectives from a law enforcement agency returned on January 17 to interview the maintenance worker and his supervisor.

LAPD arrested D4vd for Celeste's murder. He was brought into custody in the early evening at a different Hollywood Hills residence ... 7 months after her body was found in his Tesla.

The singer was booked at the 77th Street Station Jail at 10:12 PM and was held without bail. His attorneys told TMZ at the time that there had been no indictment and no criminal complaint when the cops brought him in.

D4vd was officially charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances -- which makes him eligible for the death penalty.

He was also charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 ... as well as mutilating a body.

That same day ... D4vd went before a judge and entered a not guilty plea. That night -- just before 10 PM -- he was transferred to L.A. County Men's Central Jail.

The L.A. County Medical Examiner released Celeste's cause of death ... confirming she was killed by multiple penetrating injuries with unspecified objects.

The M.E. says there are "2 penetrating wounds of the torso with smooth edges that may represent sharp force injuries. The wound -- [3/4 inch length and 1.5 inches deep] -- on the upper abdomen penetrates the liver, and the wound on the left chest -- [9/16 inch length and 2 inches deep] penetrates one of the left intercostal spaces, with disruption of the adjacent ribs' cortical surfaces."

D4vd appeared in court for a status hearing regarding his preliminary hearing, later rescheduled for May 26 ... where he was shackled and wearing an orange jumpsuit.

During the hearing, prosecutors said they found a "significant amount" of child sexual abuse material on the singer's phone. They added that they want to go to trial within the next 60 days.

TMZ obtained court docs that show D4vd's team requested new threads and a haircut before his preliminary hearing.

According to the papers ... the judge said no to the clothes, but signed off on an order that the LASD give him the haircut.

This video shows D4vd apologizing to friends about a horrible "smell" in his home, 2 months after he allegedly murdered and dismembered Celeste Rivas Hernandez in that same house.

In the clip, from a July 4, 2025 livestream, the singer is hanging out with his friends Neo and Sukana. At one point, D4vd interrupts them to apologize for the "way his bathroom smells" ... claiming it was because he had "s***" in it 2 hours earlier.

As we reported, D4vd is facing felony charges of first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a minor and mutilation of human remains ... and prosecutors allege he kept Celeste's remains in his rental home for months before they were discovered in September in his Tesla.

Flowers are piling up at Celeste Rivas's gravesite -- a simple but powerful show of love as people continue to honor her memory.

Check out the scene we saw on Friday ... Celeste’s final resting place at Queen of Heaven Cemetery & Mortuary in Rowland Heights in L.A. is currently surrounded by carefully placed bouquets -- bright pink roses, yellow daisies, soft white blooms -- each a reminder that she hasn’t been forgotten.

The polished black granite headstone bearing her name is framed by bursts of color ... surrounding the etched image of Celeste depicted as an angel. The scene provides a sense of warmth in an otherwise heavy place … like each visitor found their own quiet way to say goodbye.

Celeste Rivas' father says he's never even met D4vd, much less received any money from him ... despite rumors floating around the family's home town that the singer was giving funds to the Rivas family.

There's been online speculation, including on Reddit and Facebook, springing up around Lake Elsinore, California -- located about 2 hours southeast of L.A. -- that the disgraced singer and murder suspect gave money to the family.

Jesus Rivas tells TMZ, through his attorney Patrick Steinfeld ... "I never had any contact with this guy and we haven't received any money from him or anyone in his family."

Prosecutors say D4vd disposed of Celeste Rivas' personal items in a remote area of Santa Barbara County after he murdered her in his Hollywood Hills home ... her identification was found off a highway in the area described, and now we know how it was recovered.

Caltrans tells TMZ ... a maintenance worker performing traffic control on SR-154 east of Painted Cave Road on Jan. 7, 2026 looked down in the brush and discovered Celeste's passport card. That's about 100 miles northwest of the Hollywood Hills, in a wooded mountainous region.

We're told the Caltrans worker reported the finding to his supervisor, who contacted the California Highway Patrol.

An elderly driver in Georgia pulled a smug mug shot last week ... after allegedly hitting some cyclists with his SUV ... and part of the road-rage incident was caught on camera.

Jerry Wayne Ross literally smiled as he was booked by Cherokee County Sheriff's officials after his alleged bout of road rage banged up one biker in particular pretty badly.

According to FOX 5 Atlanta ... the 72-year-old Ross had been driving behind North Georgia Cycling Association riders on their group outing, allegedly honking and following them for 2 minutes -- before allegedly clipping a couple of them with his Honda Pilot.

Addison Rae’s dad, Monty Lopez, claimed his estranged wife, Kaitlyn Lopez, had a gun on her during their recent altercation that led to him being thrown behind bars ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Monty asked the court to grant him an order of protection against his wife, Kaitlyn Nicole Lopez.

In the filing, Monty alleged that Kaitlyn had physically attacked him multiple times during their relationship. As TMZ first reported, Monty and Kaitlyn wed in a Vegas ceremony in October 2025.

Celeste Rivas' family's lawyer said her relatives are dealing with "indescribable pain" and have decided not to make any public statement, after learning of the horrific details surrounding her tragic death.

Patrick Steinfeld tells TMZ ... on Wednesday, he had to inform the Rivas family about the horrific allegations made against D4vd -- including that he allegedly "stood by while she bled out" and later used a chainsaw to cut off her limbs.

Steinfeld says speaking to the family about such macabre allegations is the hardest thing he's had to do in 37 years as a lawyer ... and it's affected the family so much that they've decided against their original idea of speaking publicly throughout the criminal process.

Britney Spears is officially facing criminal charges after being arrested on suspicion of DUI.

Prosecutors in Ventura County have charged Britney with one count of misdemeanor DUI.

TMZ broke the story ... Britney was pulled over March 4 in Westlake Village, near her home. Dispatch audio revealed she was allegedly swerving between lanes before being stopped by police.

D4vd appears to be cool, calm, and collected during a podcast appearance ... which came out days after prosecutors claim he murdered Celeste Rivas.

During the singer's interview on the "Zach Sang Show" -- published April 28, 2025 ... 5 days after prosecutors claim Celeste was killed -- he is seen laid back and relaxed as he describes how he pulls inspiration for his music.

In the interview ... D4vd reveals he felt isolated by being homeschooled growing up, forcing him to create fake scenarios in his head, which he would then translate into his music.

There are some important updates to the death certificate for Celeste Rivas ... the document now reflects the fact the L.A. County Medical Examiner says she was murdered ... and it's now unknown if she'd been pregnant in the year before she was killed.

TMZ obtained Celeste's new death certificate, and it no longer says she was NOT pregnant ... now that section is marked "U" for unknown.

The new certificate says the cause of death has been corrected from "deferred" to "multiple penetrating injuries" ... and the manner of death is updated from "pending investigation" to "homicide."

Jeffrey Epstein's possible suicide note has been hidden from public view for years ... this according to a new report.

The New York Times on Thursday uncovered a note allegedly written by Epstein in jail in July 2019, when he was found unconscious in his cell with a strip of cloth around his neck ... weeks before he was found dead by attempted suicide in a similar manner, in August.

Nicholas Tartaglione, a former cop and the cellmate of the disgraced financier, says he found the note -- which the Times reports has been sealed as part of Tartaglione's own criminal case ... essentially hiding it from Epstein investigators.

D4vd described alleged trips he took to London and Houston during an interview published days after prosecutors claim he murdered Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

In a recorded interview published by Songwriter Universe on April 25, 2025 -- 2 days after he stabbed Celeste, according to prosecutors -- David Burke, known as D4vd, is heard describing his songwriting process and mentions trips he took to London and Houston ... both places prosecutors claim David traveled to with Celeste.

D4vd says ... "I went to London ... with three of my friends, and we just made a song every day for two weeks in London. I love London because of the gloomy aesthetic and the gloomy ... just, like, vibe and environment that London has."

We're getting a look inside the Hollywood Hills rental house at the center of the case against D4vd ... including the garage prosecutors allege was used to store 14-year-old Celeste Rivas' body after her murder in April 2025.

Photos show the garage area authorities say became a key part of their investigation, with prosecutors claiming the space was used in the aftermath of Rivas' death.

According to court docs, prosecutors allege Rivas was stabbed inside the home off the famed Sunset Strip after being brought there in an Uber from her family's house in Lake Elsinore, CA. They claim evidence recovered from the garage is consistent with an attempt to dismember her body, including biological samples that tested positive for blood.

Josh Duggar's going to be spending more time behind bars than he expected ... because his prison sentence just got extended a little longer.

Only days after going in front of a judge to appeal his conviction for possessing child sex abuse material, Josh had two months tacked on to his federal prison sentence.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Josh is now scheduled to be released from custody at FCI Seagoville in Texas on Feb. 2, 2033.

Nick Reiner allegedly butchered his parents back in December ... but when he appeared again in court Wednesday, prosecutors revealed the autopsies for Rob and Michele Reiner are not ready yet ... four and a half months after their murders.

The hearing was delayed and when Nick was finally brought into the courtroom, he looked thin in his yellow and blue jail jumpsuit.

Nick's public defender told the judge they were still waiting on discovery ... and the next hearing in the case was set for Sept. 15.