D4vd loses lawyers weeks ahead of Celeste Rivas Hernandez murder trial
D4vd’s high-profile legal team is stepping away from his murder case, leaving the singer with a public defender ahead of his upcoming trial.
On Monday, August 31, Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter confirmed to the BBC that a judge granted their request to withdraw from the case and appointed the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office to represent Burke.
The lawyers said D4vd “qualified for appointed counsel,” adding, “We continue to support David and his defence against these serious charges.”
Deputy public defender Walid Kandeel said Burke was “entitled to a defence that takes his circumstances seriously and carefully examines the evidence”.
“We are committed to providing him with that defence,” he said.
The 21-year-old musician, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, re-entered a not guilty plea on Monday in a Los Angeles court to charges tied to the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
Prosecutors allege Burke killed Hernandez, whose remains were discovered in September 2025 inside a Tesla registered to his address. They have accused him of stabbing the teenager after years of sexual abuse and later dismembering her body.
Burke faces charges of first-degree murder, mutilation of human remains and child sexual abuse. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for October 19.
