D4vd, the 21-year-old pop singer made famous by his 2022 hit “Romantic Homicide,” is facing first-degree murder, sexual abuse of a child and unlawful mutilation of human remains charges. But now a friend is revealing what nobody saw coming: the warning signs.
A former close associate of the Houston native just told The Mirror US that D4vd’s behavior shifted dramatically in the months leading up to his April 16, 2026 arrest when the LAPD took him into custody, with formal charges filed on April 20. What the friend observed wasn’t subtle — it was a complete metamorphosis. D4vd’s attorneys have maintained the “Romantic Homicide” singer’s innocence since his arrest. But the friend’s account paints a different picture of who D4vd was behind closed doors.
“I considered David a friend, and it is difficult to reconcile the person I knew with the allegations that have now come out,” the friend stated, according to reporting from The Mirror US. The friend described watching D4vd become increasingly withdrawn and secretive. He stopped being reachable. When personal questions came up, he became defensive. The source claims it was a total break: “We ceased all communication with him and his team the second the news of Celeste came out, and there’s been zero communication since.” That’s the moment the friendship died.
Here’s what we know about the accusations: D4vd was arrested and charged in April with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez following a monthslong investigation. Prosecutors allege the abuse went on for more than a year, and that Burke had gotten Rivas Hernandez pregnant at 13 and talked her through an abortion. Later, they say, he killed her and then dismembered her body with a chain saw. Investigators determined she was killed on April 23, 2025. That was just TWO DAYS before the release of D4vd’s debut album, Withered, which opened at No. 13 on the Billboard 200.
When she threatened to expose his criminal conduct and devastate his musical career, Burke allegedly murdered her, cut up her body and stuffed her body in two bags that were placed in the front trunk of his car. The body sat there for months. It wasn’t until September 8 — one day after what would’ve been Rivas Hernandez’s 15th birthday — Los Angeles police discovered her decomposed remains in the trunk of Burke’s impounded Tesla.
D4vd’s ascent was meteoric. After going viral, he opened for singer SZA before launching his own world tour. His single “Romantic Homicide” has racked up more than 70 million streams on Spotify. Investigators quickly linked the car to its registered owner — identified by authorities as David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, who has nearly 4 million followers on TikTok. He was living the dream. Then he allegedly became a murderer.
The friend’s revelations matter because they show something dark was happening beneath the surface. You don’t just wake up one day and snap. The isolation, the evasiveness, the behavioral shift — those are the tells. The friend couldn’t have known the full scope of what was happening, but he felt the change. That’s what makes this so chilling: D4vd has been held on no bail since his arrest. He’s facing a maximum sentence of life in prison or potentially the death penalty. And a judge just ruled that the murder case against the singer D4vd will head to trial, following at-times graphic testimony from investigators during a dayslong preliminary hearing in Los Angeles.
This is bigger than one predator. It’s a reminder that the most dangerous people can hide in plain sight. They can make viral music, pack venues, pull millions of streams — and all the while, they’re committing unthinkable crimes. The friend’s testimony is just the beginning. The real reckoning happens in court.
The 16BARS take: When someone changes that dramatically and gets that reclusive, people around them know something’s wrong — they just don’t know how wrong. D4vd’s former friend is right to call him out publicly; the culture doesn’t move forward by protecting predators.
