Copyright ynetnews
"Behind my head, I killed you" And I didn’t even regret it I can't believe I said that But it’s true - I hate you" In these words, American alt-pop singer d4vd (David) ends his biggest TikTok hit, Romantic Homicide (2022). If we were detectives, we might see in the song an early clue to the violent urges lurking in the inner world of the 20-year-old New Yorker. Another sign might be the video for his 2023 single One More Time, in which the singer appears as a murder victim, dressed in a bloodstained white shirt. His body is dragged away by a doppelgänger and stuffed into the trunk of a car driven by two unruly punks. That d4vd has appeared on stage with a coffin at some of his performances only deepens the profile we might compile if we were building a psychological case file. One could assume that even Itami, the fictional protagonist of a manga series dreamed up by d4vd, would be raising suspicions by now. The character, a detective who investigates murders he himself has committed, appeared in the anime-style video for Rehab two years ago. But according to d4vd, a version of Itami (whose name means “pain” in Japanese) first emerged in Romantic Homicide and has since followed him through multiple songs and videos. Yet today, questions are mounting over whether these dark themes were confined to his artistic imagination or spilled into real life. That question came into sharp focus after the dismembered body of his 15-year-old girlfriend, Celeste Reeves Hernandez, was found in the trunk of a Tesla registered in his name in Los Angeles, almost a year after she was first reported missing. Given the clues scattered across his creative work and the circumstantial evidence now under review, it’s little surprise that the singer is seen by the public as the prime suspect, even though police have not formally named him one. David Anthony Burke, who performs under the stage name d4vd, was born in New York but raised in Houston, Texas. As a child, he mostly listened to gospel music. Later, as a teenager, he discovered hip-hop and indie rock online and began exploring music inspired by those genres. Through the popular video game Fortnite, his artistic style began to take shape, resonating with peers whose musical tastes were shaped by social media and online gaming culture. Somehow, amid the dense, fast-paced stream of digital content, d4vd broke through, with more than 100 million streams across platforms. That sharp rise brought massive earnings, enabling him to move into a home in the upscale Beverly Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, just outside Hollywood, the same house police raided in search of evidence following the discovery of the body about two weeks ago. According to TMZ, the singer, who has been cooperating with investigators, has since packed up and returned to the East Coast. He is currently staying in New York. Although he has not officially been named a suspect at this stage, that status could change at any moment. All the circumstantial evidence, not only what emerges from his work, points to the reasonable conclusion that d4vd is responsible for the murder of his girlfriend, who was just 13 when her mother first reported her missing in April 2024. It remains unclear when Celeste was killed, but her dismembered body was discovered on September 8 in the trunk of an abandoned Tesla that had been towed to a municipal lot in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood. A strong odor of decomposition led staff to call the police, who opened the trunk and were shocked to find body parts in an unrecognizable state. Roughly a week later, lab results confirmed without doubt: the victim was Celeste Reeves Hernandez. At this stage, the police investigation appears to be focused on forensic identification procedures and the search for conclusive evidence at d4vd’s home. Investigators are also working to understand the nature of his relationship with Celeste. According to witness accounts, the two met back in 2023, when both were still teenagers, though five years apart in age and their bond was reportedly close enough that they chose to get matching tattoos (“shhh…”) on their index fingers. In the wake of recent events, an old recording has resurfaced online: a tender, unfinished demo by d4vd that leaked in December 2023 under the file name celeste_Demo unfin. The song, titled Celeste, reveals a deep and seemingly innocent affection for her, devoid of his usual morbid themes, except for a lone reference to Cupid’s suicide. “Oh, Celeste. The girl with my name tattooed on her chest. I smell her on my clothes like cigarettes. I hear her voice every time I take a breath. I’m obsessed. Oh, Celeste. Afraid you’ll only love me when I’m naked. But you look so stunning in that dress. Missing you this much makes me depressed. But I digress, Because I love you so much.” If there is any "good" news for d4vd amid the troubling developments, it comes from the virtual sphere on the internet, on social media, and across streaming platforms. Since the story broke, public attention on the artist has grown significantly. According to Spotify data, his biggest hit Romantic Homicide made the biggest leap on the platform’s global chart. With 2.157 million streams, it jumped to number 42 and has since climbed to number 32, alongside two other tracks in the chart: Here With Me at number 47 and Feel It at number 101. On the U.S. chart, Romantic Homicide reached number 10 before dropping to number 20. Feel It currently stands at number 51 and Here With Me at number 67. The meaning behind these numbers is clear: more earnings, more cash flowing into the artist’s bank account thanks to increased streaming. But it remains to be seen whether that will help him if he is ultimately found guilty. As unthinkable as it may seem, if d4vd, who is cooperating with investigators, is ultimately found innocent, the murder of Celeste could end up propelling his career to unprecedented success. He has certainly suffered serious financial blows in the wake of the case. He lost sponsorship deals with Hollister and Crocs. In a predictable move, he removed all merchandise from his website, including the bloodstained shirt associated with both himself and his Itami character. He was forced to pause his U.S. tour midway and cancel upcoming European dates. On top of that, his label, Interscope, announced it is halting promotion for his next album release. Even so, an acquittal would not only secure his future as a free man. It could also elevate him to a new level of fame, with extraordinary opportunities both as a musician and in his work on manga, with or without fantasies of murder.
