.jpeg "D4vd Fires High-Profile Lawyers, Chooses Public Defender in Murder Case")
The 21-year-old singer, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, told Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo that he wanted to be represented by a public defender rather than his team of high-profile private attorneys.
“Is that your wish, Mr. Burke?” the judge asked.
“Yes,” Burke replied.
After meeting with the judge in chambers, defense attorney Blair Berk told the court that Burke wanted public defender Walid Kandeel to take over his case.
Berk, along with attorneys Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter, later said in a statement to PEOPLE that the court had approved their request to withdraw after determining that Burke qualified for appointed counsel.
“We continue to support David and his defense against these serious charges,” the attorneys said. They also said they were grateful that the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office had taken over the case.
Burke pleads not guilty
Monday’s hearing was Burke’s first court appearance since July, when Judge Olmedo ordered him to stand trial after prosecutors presented evidence at a preliminary hearing.
Burke pleaded not guilty again to all charges.
Prosecutors accuse him of murdering and dismembering Rivas. He also faces charges of committing lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 and illegally mutilating human remains.
Prosecutors have also filed special-circumstance allegations, including murder of a witness, murder for financial gain and murder while lying in wait. If convicted, Burke could face life in prison without parole or, depending on the outcome of the special-circumstance allegations and applicable law, the death penalty.
Burke has denied the allegations through his not-guilty pleas.
A case that shocked the music world
The case has dramatically changed the public image of D4vd, who became known for atmospheric pop songs and rose quickly to mainstream success.
Rivas’s decomposing remains were discovered in September 2025 inside the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke. The vehicle had been impounded at a Hollywood tow lot.
Burke was arrested on April 26, 2026, and has remained in custody without bail at Twin Towers Correctional Facility.
According to prosecutors, Burke first communicated with Rivas online when she was 11. At the time, Burke was living near Houston and making Fortnite videos on YouTube while pursuing a music career.
Prosecutors allege that the relationship later became sexual after Burke moved to Los Angeles in late 2023. They say Rivas was 13 and Burke was 18 when the alleged sexual relationship began.
Prosecutors describe a troubled relationship
Prosecutors allege that the relationship became increasingly tense in the months before Rivas’s death.
According to their account, Rivas was upset that Burke was seeing other women and threatened to expose their relationship. Prosecutors say Burke was worried that such a disclosure could damage his growing music career.
They allege that on April 23, 2025, Burke lured Rivas to a home he had rented in the Hollywood Hills.
Prosecutors say he stabbed her to death and later dismembered her body in the garage. Her remains were not discovered until months later.
At the July 27 preliminary hearing, Judge Olmedo ruled that prosecutors had presented enough evidence for Burke to face trial.
What happens next
Burke’s next status hearing is scheduled for Oct. 19. A trial is expected to begin within 90 days of that hearing, although the schedule could change.
For now, the former private legal team is gone and Burke will be represented by the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office.
The case has placed the singer’s rapidly rising career in the shadow of one of the most serious criminal prosecutions in Los Angeles. The upcoming trial will determine whether prosecutors can prove their allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.
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