US singer D4vd’s celebrity lawyers withdraw from murder case
Public Defender Steps In as Celebrity Legal Team Exits D4vd Murder Trial
Ninoda.com – The high-profile murder trial of American singer-songwriter D4vd — known legally as David Anthony Burke, 21 — entered a new phase this week when the team of prominent entertainment lawyers retained to build his defence formally withdrew from the case. In their place, the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office has been appointed to represent the musician, a shift that could reshape the pace and strategy of proceedings heading into what prosecutors describe as one of the county's most closely watched criminal trials of the year.
Burke faces charges of first-degree murder, mutilation of human remains, and child sexual abuse in connection with the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a 14-year-old girl whose remains were discovered in September 2025 inside a Tesla registered to his address. A Los Angeles judge had already determined the previous month that the case would proceed to a full jury trial rather than being resolved through plea negotiations.
The Withdrawal and What It Means
Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter — the trio of attorneys who had been assembling a defence strategy for the singer — confirmed in a public statement that the court had approved their motion to step away from the matter. They noted that Burke "qualified for appointed counsel" under the applicable rules, meaning the court was obligated to provide representation through the public defender system once private counsel departed.
"We continue to support David and his defence against these serious charges," the former team said. "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."
The departure of Berk and colleagues is notable given the pedigree of the firm. Berk, who had been steering the overall defence, built his reputation representing figures such as actor Mel Gibson, film producer Harvey Weinstein, pop star Britney Spears, and actress Lindsay Lohan. Their exit does not signal a collapse of the defence; rather, it reflects the procedural reality that a defendant who cannot retain private counsel at trial must be assigned a public defender, and that the court granted the request rather than compelling continued representation.
Charges and the Alleged Motive
Prosecutors allege that Burke killed Hernandez after years of sexual abuse, stabbing the teenager before dismembering her body. The murder count carries special circumstances tied to financial gain — a statutory enhancement that, if proven beyond a reasonable doubt, would make Burke eligible for the death penalty in California. He also faces separate counts for mutilating human remains and for child sexual abuse.
The state's theory of motive centers on a threat Hernandez allegedly made to expose the relationship between the two and to dismantle what prosecutors describe as his multi-million-dollar music career. Evidence introduced during the preliminary hearing included text messages dated 22 April 2025, in which the teenager, upset over arguments concerning Burke's friendship with another girl, wrote:
"I swear to GOD I will kill u."
The message continued with a threat to strangle him and to tell her father lies about him, before concluding:
"i will end ur career and ur life I will damage anything."
The following day, 23 April 2025, Hernandez reportedly travelled to Burke's Hollywood residence in an Uber that he had arranged to pick her up. Prosecutors say he stabbed her upon her arrival. Her body was not located until September 2025, when investigators found remains inside the Tesla parked at his address.
Courtroom Procedure and What Comes Next
Burke returned to a Los Angeles courthouse on Monday to have each count formally read aloud and to re-enter his not-guilty plea — a standard procedural step that occurs after a preliminary hearing confirms sufficient evidence to bind the case over for trial. A pre-trial hearing is currently scheduled for 19 October.
Nathan Hochman, the top prosecutor in Los Angeles County, addressed reporters outside the courtroom after Monday's session. He stated that his office was "ready to proceed" with its case but acknowledged the practical complications introduced by the change in defence counsel.
"We are ready for zealous representation by the defence," Hochman said.
He noted that the new team might request additional time to review the evidentiary record, file a motion to dismiss, or otherwise slow the calendar. Deputy public defender Walid Kandeel, who will oversee the assigned team, framed the appointment in terms of due process rather than spectacle:
"We are committed to providing him with that defence," Kandeel said, adding that Burke was "entitled to a defence that takes his circumstances seriously and carefully examines the evidence."
Context for Readers
The transition from a privately retained celebrity team to a public defender is not uncommon in California criminal cases, particularly when a defendant's finances shift between the preliminary hearing and trial, or when the court determines that appointed counsel is the appropriate mechanism. What distinguishes this matter is the scale of public attention: Burke's music catalogue, streaming numbers, and social-media following have made the trial a fixture of entertainment news cycles alongside its status as a serious homicide prosecution.
For the victims' family and for the broader community of Los Angeles County, the practical question now is whether the new defence team will seek continuances that push the trial well past the autumn window, or whether they will move quickly to present a challenge to the state's evidence. Either path will be scrutinised under the spotlight that has followed this case since the discovery of Hernandez's remains in the Tesla last autumn. The court's next substantive step — the 19 October pre-trial hearing — will likely reveal whether the schedule holds or whether further adjournments follow.
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