D4vd Replaces Private Lawyers With Public Defender in Celeste Rivas Hernandez Murder Case

Last month, a judge ruled there's sufficient evidence to move the grisly criminal case forward. d4vd at #PopRisingOnTour - d4vd held at The Roxy on September 6, 2023 in West Hollywood, California. Christopher Polk/Billboard D4vd has switched out his high-powered private attorneys for a public defender as he faces charges of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter told Billboard that a Los Angeles judge granted their motion to withdraw from the case on Monday (Aug. 31). They did not give a reason for the change but said the 21-year-old “Romantic Homicide” singer (David Anthony Burke) “qualified for appointed counsel.” Related “We continue to support David and his defense against these serious charges,” said Berk, Bednarski and Peter. “We are grateful that the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office has taken over the representation and that David has a highly capable and committed team of attorneys and investigators behind him.” Berk and Peter are both attorneys at the elite Los Angeles entertainment boutique Berk Brettler, whose previous clients have included Marilyn Manson and Armie Hammer. Bednarski also has her name on a private firm, McLane Bednarski & Litt, with a client list that has included former CNN anchor Don Lemon. D4vd’s new attorney is public defender Walid Kandeel. In a Monday statement shared with Billboard, the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office said they are “committed to providing” D4vd with his constitutional right to a defense. “We recognize the loss of life underlying the allegations and extend our sympathies to those who are grieving,” said the office. “At the same time, David Burke is entitled to a defense that takes his circumstances seriously and carefully examines the evidence.” D4vd is accused of stabbing Rivas to death in April 2025 after the 14-year-old threatened to tell the world they’d been having an illegal sexual relationship. Prosecutors say he then chopped up the girl’s body with a chainsaw. Rivas’ decomposing body parts were discovered in an abandoned Tesla registered to D4vd last September. The singer was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, child sexual abuse and mutilating a body this past April. D4vd has maintained his innocence, and his legal team worked to poke holes in the prosecution’s theory during a five-day preliminary hearing last month. But a judge ruled at the end that the evidence, including graphic photos and text messages between D4vd and Rivas, is sufficient to move the case forward toward trial. According to Rolling Stone, D4vd’s new public defender entered a procedural not-guilty plea on the singer’s behalf during Monday’s hearing. He’s next scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 19. A trial date has not yet been set. Daily newsletters straight to your inbox Sign Up More From Pro