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Singer D4vd's Lawyers Withdraw, Public Defender Takes Over Murder Case
US singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, parted ways with his high-profile legal team and will be represented by the Los Angeles County Public Defender's office in his murder trial. The 21-year-old pleaded not guilty to charges of killing 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, and a pretrial hearing is set for October 19.
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Lawyers Withdraw in D4vd Murder Case
LOS ANGELES — US singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, has parted ways with his celebrity legal team and will now be represented by the Los Angeles County Public Defender's office, according to statements in court and from his former attorneys.
The 21-year-old artist informed a Los Angeles courtroom on Monday that he wanted to switch to public defenders, as reported by NBC News. After attorneys met with Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo in chambers, defense attorney Blair Berk emerged and told the court that her client wished to have the public defender represent him. Judge Olmedo asked Burke directly, "Is that your wish, Mr. Burke," to which he responded, "Yes."
Judge Olmedo granted the request, and Burke's former lawyers — Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter — said in a statement to the BBC that the court had granted their request to withdraw and had appointed the Los Angeles County Public Defender's office. The statement said that Burke "qualified for appointed counsel."
"We continue to support David and his defense against these serious charges," the lawyers 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."
Deputy public defender Walid Kandeel said Burke "is entitled to a defense that takes his circumstances seriously and carefully examines the evidence," adding, "We are committed to providing him with that defense."
The reason for the switch was not immediately clear, according to the Los Angeles Times, which noted that Burke's financial success raised questions about his eligibility for a public defender.
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Framing: The headline emphasizes the withdrawal of D4vd's celebrity lawyers from his murder case. — Neutral and factual
Facts Included:
The celebrity lawyers hired to represent US musician D4vd in his upcoming murder trial have withdrawn from his case
The star, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, has been appointed a public defender
The murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 14, whose remains were found in September 2025 in a Tesla registered to his
Burke, 21, pleaded not guilty to the murder charges in Los Angeles court on Monday
A judge determined last month that he will stand trial for murder
Prosecutors have alleged he stabbed the teen after years of sexual abuse, before dismembering her
A pretrial hearing is set for 19 October
Lawyers Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter said in a statement to BBC that the court granted their request to withdraw from the case and has appointed the Los Angeles County Public Defender's to represent the singer
The statement said that it D4vd "qualified for appointed
"We continue to support David and his defense against these serious charges," they 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
Berk, who led the defence team, has previously represented US actor Mel Gibson and film mogul Harvey Weinstein, as well as singer Britney Spears and actress Lindsay
In a statement, deputy public defender Walid Kandeel said Burke "is entitled to a defense that takes his circumstances seriously and carefully examines the evidence"
"We are committed to providing him with that defense," he said
Framing: The headline emphasizes that the singer D4vd has switched from private attorneys to a public defender in his murder case. — Neutral/objective reporting with a focus on procedural and evidentiary details.
Facts Included:
D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, is 21 years old.
Burke asked to have the public defender's office replace his defense team of Blair Berk and Marilyn Bednarski.
Judge Charlaine Olmedo granted Burke's request to switch to the public defender's office.
Burke is charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting a teenage fan before killing her and dismembering her corpse.
Burke's team demanded an immediate preliminary hearing.
Prosecutors presented evidence including text messages about an illegal sexual relationship, receipts for tools for body disposal, and forensic analyses showing blood in his garage.
The evidence showed Burke impregnated the teenage girl and convinced her to get an abortion.
The night before the killing, Hernandez told Burke in texts, 'end ur career and ur life I will damage anything.'
Burke was signed to a multi-million-dollar recording deal with Interscope Records.
Defense highlighted that police never recovered the dismemberment tools and that the medical examiner could not rule out suicide.
Burke pleaded not guilty at a post-preliminary hearing.
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