Rapper D4vd has been assigned a public defender after his high-profile legal team officially withdrew from representing him. The decision was finalized by a Los Angeles judge on Monday, August 31, 2026.
The 21-year-old artist, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, faces charges of first-degree murder with special circumstances, sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains in connection with the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas-Hernandez.
Powerhouse celebrity defense attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter requested to step down from the case. While they did not disclose a precise reason, media outlets speculated it stemmed from financial issues. The court granted the withdrawal after determining that Burke met the indigent criteria to qualify for publicly funded representation.
Deputy public defenders Walid Fouad Kandeel and Lisa Anne Roth have stepped in to manage his defense. The rapper has been in custody since his arrest on April 26, 2026, in what had been a cold case from 2022. The investigation was reopened after Burke’s DNA was discovered on the victim’s hands.
