It was not immediately clear why the defense attorneys parted ways with the singer, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke.
Singer D4vd on Monday entered a new not guilty plea to charges that he killed and dismembered a 14-year-old girl while simultaneously losing his high-profile private lawyers.
It was not immediately clear why the defense attorneys parted ways with the singer, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke.
Blair Berk and her colleagues Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter said in a statement that the judge granted their request to withdraw after finding that Burke qualified for a court-appointed lawyer.
“We continue to support David and his defense against these serious charges,” the statement obtained by The Associated Press read. The lawyers would not answer specific questions about their departure outside the courtroom.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell walks past an image of Celeste Rivas Hernandez Monday, April 20, 2026, in Los Angeles after a press conference regarding the case of singer D4vd, who was charged on suspicion of killing the 14-year-old girl whose dismembered body was found in his car. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)A lawyer from the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office took over after stating in an email that it completed a thorough financial evaluation and found Burke was eligible.
Burke earned at least $10 million through his music from 2023 through 2025, according to testimony from his money handlers at a previous hearing. It’s not clear how he financially qualifies for a public defender whose job is to defend clients who lack the money for a lawyer.
Deputy Public Defender Walid Kandeel took over the defense. Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo denied his first request as the singer's lawyer to delay the arraignment. Olmedo demanded a plea Monday instead, and scheduled a status conference for October. No trial date has been set.
Olmedo ruled in July that there was enough evidence in the murder case to send Burke to trial on charges of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. Authorities believe Celeste Rivas Hernandez was killed after she threatened to expose their relationship, jeopardizing his career.
Prosecutors allege Burke met Rivas Hernandez online when she was 11 and began a sexual relationship with her when she was 13 and he was 18.
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Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.
