D4vd, the Dead Girl in His Trunk, and the Glamour of Evil | The American Spectator

When contemplating life imitating art, “Cheeseburger in Paradise” seems like an ideal musical selection. The latest instance of this occurring involves a scenario considerably more depressing than “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.”

Three years ago, singer d4vd penned a top-40 song called “Romantic Homicide” in which he fantasizes about murdering a girlfriend and not caring about it. It does not seem like something Bing Crosby or Sam Cooke would sing about. The title strikes as what they call in police parlance a “clue.”

Earlier this month, the dismembered, decomposed body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, allegedly the 20-year-old singer’s former girlfriend — with an emphasis on girl — was found in the trunk of a Tesla registered to d4vd, who remains uncharged and free.

This occurred on the day after what would have been Hernandez’s 15th birthday. The girl went missing at 13. When did she die? We do not know. Who killed her? That remains a mystery, too — albeit one that offers numerous signs that point in a particular direction.

D4vd and Celeste share matching “shhh” tattoos on their fingers (neither is talking about what happened). The victim’s mother indicates that she dated a man named David. An unreleased d4vd track focuses on a female protagonist named Celeste.

Though it looks awful — the “Romantic Homicide” video shows d4vd dragging a corpse into a trunk — the singer retains supporters.

On the DC Metro this past weekend, I sat next to a Hispanic girl, not much older than Miss Hernandez, who wore a d4vd sweatshirt that boasted of his “Withered” world tour — the same one canceled a few days ago due to “unforeseen events.” It recalled sightings of various peculiar individuals wearing Aaron Hernandez football jerseys after his murder arrest.

As babies, a man warned us to reject the glamour of evil. Not everybody heeded his advice.

D4vd played, and fans attended, five shows after the discovery of Hernandez’s badly decomposed body in his car, which he crucially never reported stolen, at a Los Angeles impound lot. By Monday, the three-year-old “Romantic Homicide” reappeared at #8 on Spotify’s U.S. chart and #13 worldwide. He was the biggest gainer on both charts (the song dropped as the week progressed).

In contrast, Rivas Hernandez’s family raised on GoFundMe $24,013 as of Tuesday for her funeral. It totals slightly more than the $19,899 raised for women who allegedly trashed a Charlie Kirk memorial, but it undoubtedly pays for a nice, respectful goodbye. Who knows what #8 on Spotify pays? One guesses more than Rivas Hernandez’s funeral costs.

The case abounds with symptoms of a sick society. Why would such a song gain popularity? Why did a grown man date a junior-high student? How do women who desecrate the dead elicit almost as much charitable sympathy as a dead girl? Why must the show go on — five times — after the discovery of this poor girl’s body? We live in a calloused, desensitized world.

Some songs age poorly. Some that come to mind include Jimmy Gilmer’s “Sugar Shack” from 1963 and Will to Power’s “Baby I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley” from 1988 (you’re welcome). The lyrics of “Romantic Homicide” put this song on a different level in terms of time’s abuse of it. D4vd sings: “In the back of my mind, I killed you/and I didn’t even regret it, I can’t believe I said it.”

I can’t believe he said it, either.

Sure, nobody arrested Johnny Cash for shooting a man in Reno just to watch him die. But this situation looks, er, sounds bad.

D4vd’s song? It sounds better than 95 percent of songs on pop radio. The singer? One guesses some authority weighs judgment on that question.

READ MORE from Daniel J. Flynn:

Unapologetic Jimmy Kimmel Still Delivering Politics Instead of Punchlines

The Trigger on Charlie Kirk’s Slow-Motion Assassination Was Pulled Before His Birth

Charlie Kirk Was a Winner, His Murderer Was a Loser