LOS ANGELES (AP) — Singer D4vd lost his high-profile private lawyers Monday at a hearing where he entered a new not guilty plea to charges that he killed, sexually abused and dismembered 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
It's not clear why Blair Berk and her colleagues Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter parted ways with the indie-pop singer whose legal name is David Anthony Burke. They were replaced by a lawyer from the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office.
The defense attorneys said in a statement only 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 said. The lawyers would not answer specific questions about their departure outside the courtroom.
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.
Without providing details, the Public Defender's Office said in an email that it had completed a thorough financial evaluation and found he was eligible.
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 after a five-day evidentiary hearing in July that there was enough evidence for Burke to stand trial on charges of murder, continuous lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains.
A second arraignment and plea, like Burke gave Monday, is standard practice after such a hearing and finding. He is eligible for the death penalty, but District Attorney Nathan Hochman said after Monday's hearing that his office is still deciding whether to pursue it.
Hochman said the new lawyers will make no difference in how his office pursues the case, though the switch may delay the process. He said regardless of the timing, his office is “ready to prove all three charges beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Outgoing attorney Berk has for years been among the go-to lawyers for A-list clients. They’ve included Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Harvey Weinstein and the late Ozzy Osbourne.
New attorney Kandeel said in a statement that “We recognize the loss of life underlying the allegations and extend our sympathies to those who are grieving. At the same time, David Burke is entitled to a defense that takes his circumstances seriously and carefully examines the evidence.”
Nick Reiner, charged with killing his parents, the director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, recently lost a similarly prominent private lawyer in favor of a public defender because his source of money was cut off. He’s now seeking access to a trust so he can rehire the attorney, Alan Jackson.
Authorities allege Burke stabbed Rivas Hernandez to death in April of last year after she threatened to expose sexual abuse that began when she was 13 and crater his rising career just days before his debut album dropped.
“i will end ur career and ur life,” she told him in a text message sent the night before her death.
Prosecutors said the following night Burke sent an Uber for her and stabbed her when she entered his house. They presented evidence that her phone went permanently silent at that moment.
Rivas Hernandez’s dismembered and decomposing body was found in the trunk of Burke’s Tesla in the Hollywood Hills in September while he was on tour.
Prosecutors argued at the July hearing that the “mountains of evidence” they presented were overwhelming. Burke’s lawyers argued that the evidence of murder was insufficient.
D4vd (pronounced “David”) became an online musical phenomenon as a teen with a blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. He had huge followings on TikTok, SoundCloud and Spotify, where his top songs, including his 2022 breakthrough “Romantic Homicide,” have more than a billion plays.
In 2024, he played the Coachella music festival and released his first full-length album, “Withered,” two days after authorities say Rivas Hernandez was killed.
FILE - D4vd appears at Variety's Power of Young Hollywood in Los Angeles on Aug. 8, 2024. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - David Anthony Burke, whose stage name is D4vd, is arraigned in Los Angeles, April 20, 2026, on charges of killing a 14-year-old girl whose dismembered body was found in his car. (Ted Soqui/Pool Photo via AP, File)
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina superstar Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international soccer on Monday, ending 21 years of national-team duty that were capped by winning the World Cup in 2022 to secure his place in the pantheon of the game's greatest ever players.
“It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts deeply — but I understand that the time has come,” the 39-year-old Messi said on his Instagram account.
Messi, who will continue to play at club level with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, played in a record-tying six World Cups. He won it four years ago in a tournament he dominated in Qatar and also led Argentina to the title match in 2014 and again this year, when the Albiceleste lost to Spain in extra time in New Jersey.
Messi stands shoulder to shoulder with Diego Maradona, a compatriot with whom he was so often compared, and Brazil icon Pelé as the greatest players of all time.
For many, he's the best.
“I swear to you that I always gave it my all — not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too," Messi wrote. "I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football.”
Messi played 207 games for Argentina and finishes as its all-time leading scorer with 125 goals, 21 of them in World Cups. Only one player has more goals in men's internationals — his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 146 and has yet to announce his retirement from Portugal duty.
Messi became the all-time leading World Cup scorer for a month in the recent tournament in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, but finished one goal behind France’s Kylian Mbappé.
In a long social-media post, Messi explained he wrote his retirement letter on July 21 — two days after the World Cup final in which he struggled to make an impact — but waited to publish it because his father was facing health issues that eventually claimed his life.
Jorge Messi died on Aug. 8 in his native Rosario.
Two months after Messi starred at the 2005 world under-20 championship, scoring both of Argentina's goals in the final triumph, he was given his senior Argentina debut at 18. His first appearance lasted only two minutes; the substitute was sent off against Hungary in Budapest.
His journey with the national team was fraught with more frustration — he briefly retired from Argentina duty in 2016 after three defeats in three consecutive major finals — until he finally lifted the World Cup four years ago, either side of also winning Copa America titles in 2021 and '24.
“Thank you for all the love these past 20 years," he said. "I’m going to miss hearing you all from the inside so much. Now I’m going to be one of you, cheering and supporting you from the outside (through thick and thin, even more so).”
In the letter, Messi did not say how long he intends to continue playing. The recent World Cup showed he's still one of the best players in the world, as did a four-goal display for Inter Miami at the weekend in a 7-1 victory over CF Montreal.
“I leave with the peace of mind and pride of having given you — along with my teammates — moments we once only dreamed of. Experiencing this with you was incredible. I love you all,” he added.
Messi's stellar recent success with Argentina nearly didn’t happen.
A decade ago he retired from the national team following Argentina's defeat in the 2016 Copa Amercia final to Chile on penalty kicks — one of which he missed.
A public campaign led by Maradona and the president changed his mind and Messi shook off the notion of not being able to win the big matches, returning to the Argentina team and continuing to star for Barcelona, then Paris Saint-Germain, then Inter Miami.
He’s the two-time MVP in MLS, the star of the league champion and someone who still creates goals in the biggest moments.
He's also a record eight-time world player of the year.
“He is pure history,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said during the recent World Cup. “History. A legend.”
The retirement announcement sparked a wave of reactions.
The Argentine Football Association wrote: “Thank you for everything, Leo. Thank you for representing Argentina. Thank you for making us dream. Thank you for turning so many dreams into reality. The legend is yours, forever.”
Argentina and Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul highlighted on social media “your unconditional love for our country, your internal battles to never give up, your strength in always enduring injustices, and your leadership and character in your dealings with every player.”
Leandro Paredes, another Argentina teammate, said, “Thank you for absolutely everything. You are and always will be the greatest of all time. We love you, Captain.”
Defender Cristian Romero said: “I love you, I admire you, and I will always be grateful for the impact you’ve had on me and on our country. Thank you for so much, Captain.”
AP Sports writers Tim Reynolds and Steve Douglas contributed to this report.
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
FILE - Argentina's Angel Di Maria, top, celebrates with Argentina's Lionel Messi after scoring against Ecuador during a World Cup 2014 qualifying soccer game in Buenos Aires, June 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Ivan Fernandez, File)
FILE - People sing happy birthday to Lionel Messi at a street mural of him in Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File)
FILE - Argentina's Lionel Messi, left, competes for the ball with Nigeria's Danny Shittu, right, and Nigeria's Dickson Etuhu, center, during the World Cup group B soccer match in Johannesburg, South Africa, June 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
FILE - Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) dribbles between England's Anthony Gordon (18) and Harry Kane (9) during the World Cup semifinal soccer match in Atlanta, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
FILE - Argentina's Lionel Messi scores his team's second goal during the group F World Cup soccer match against Bosnia in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 15, 2014. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits, File)
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi reacts following an unsuccessful scoring attempt during the first half of an MLS soccer match against CF Montreal, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
