Overview
- The teen’s dismembered and decomposing remains were found in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to David Anthony Burke on Sept. 8, 2025, and the medical examiner concluded she died from multiple penetrating wounds.
- Prosecutors charged Burke, known as D4vd, with first‑degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, unlawful mutilation of human remains, and special‑circumstance allegations; a judge ordered him to stand trial after a five‑day preliminary hearing in July.
- Burke pleaded not guilty at an Aug. 31 arraignment and his high‑profile defense team withdrew that day, after which the Los Angeles County Public Defender was appointed to represent him.
- On what would have been Celeste’s 16th birthday, her family publicly urged prosecutors to seek the death penalty, a demand reported Sept. 6–7 that directly presses DA Nathan Hochman as he weighs charging choices.
- Hochman rescinded a prior blanket ban on capital cases and is awaiting a mitigation packet from defense counsel before deciding whether to seek death or life without parole; a status conference is set for Oct. 19 and a trial could follow within 90 days.