The family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez has called for singer David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, to face the death penalty if convicted in her killing.
In a statement released around what would have been the Lake Elsinore teenager’s 16th birthday on Sept. 7, 2026, the Rivas Hernandez family said the punishment “would be perfect for this kind of human being, devoid of feelings and emptiness inside, and without conscience, who only caused pain to our daughter, our family, and the world that supports our precious daughter.”
“But that’s not in our hands, but rather in God’s, and the California justice system,” the statement added. It was signed by the Rivas Hernandez family and first reported by The California Post.
Burke, 21, is charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty or life without parole if Burke is convicted. Special circumstance allegations include lying in wait, murder for financial gain, and killing a witness.
Prosecutors allege Burke fatally stabbed Celeste on April 23, 2025, at his Hollywood Hills home after she threatened to expose their relationship and damage his music career. According to court documents and statements from the district attorney’s office, the relationship began when Celeste was 13. Her severely decomposed remains were found Sept. 8, 2025, in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke that had been towed to a Hollywood impound lot.
Burke was arrested April 16, 2026, and formally charged days later. He pleaded not guilty. Following a preliminary hearing in July, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge found sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial. Burke was rearraigned Aug. 31 and remains in custody without bail.
Celeste, who was reported missing from her Lake Elsinore home, was 14 at the time of her death. Family attorney Patrick Steinfeld has previously described the family’s pain and their desire for justice. Earlier statements from the family recalled Celeste as a girl who loved to sing and dance and spent Friday movie nights with her parents and siblings.
California retains the death penalty, though no executions have occurred since 2006. Hochman has indicated his office will review capital cases carefully under updated policy guidelines. The next court date in the case is a status conference scheduled for October.
Burke’s attorneys have maintained his innocence, stating that the evidence will show he did not cause Celeste’s death. An attorney for Burke did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the family’s latest statement.
