Key takeaways:
- Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s dismembered remains were found Sept. 8, 2025, in the front trunk of David Anthony Burke’s Tesla at a Los Angeles tow yard.
- Burke, the singer known as D4vd, has pleaded not guilty to charges including murder and mutilating human remains.
- Prosecutors allege Burke had a sexual relationship with Celeste when she was 13 and killed her to prevent her from exposing it.
The family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez called for singer D4vd to face the death penalty after a Los Angeles judge ordered him to stand trial in the killing of the 14-year-old, whose dismembered remains were found last year in the trunk of his Tesla.
The statement was released Monday, on what would have been Celeste’s 16th birthday, through the family’s attorney. D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, has pleaded not guilty to charges in the case.
“If the death penalty were activated, it 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,” Celeste’s parents said.
In a separate statement, the family said they were “experiencing so many emotions” and “reliving unforgettable moments even though she is no longer here.”
“These are feelings that only a father and mother and her siblings can share, with a heavy heart. We will always remember every moment and every good time we spent with Celestita,” the family said.
Celeste’s body was found Sept. 8, 2025, in the front trunk of Burke’s Tesla at a Los Angeles tow yard. Prosecutors said the car had been left on a street near Burke’s home and was impounded after someone reported it abandoned. NBC News reported that court documents described a decomposed head and torso in a black cadaver bag, with a second bag containing additional dismembered body parts.
Burke, 21, was arrested in April at a house on Marmont Avenue in the Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles police said. NBC News reported that he has pleaded not guilty to murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. The Guardian reported that he was charged with multiple crimes, including first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14, and mutilating a body, and that the most serious charge carries a potential death penalty.
Prosecutors allege Burke killed Celeste to stop her from revealing their sexual relationship. The Guardian reported that prosecutors said he stabbed and killed her and then severed her limbs after a relationship that began when Burke was 18 and Celeste was 13. Celeste was last seen April 23, 2025, according to court documents cited by The Guardian, which reported that prosecutors allege she was stabbed several times and mortally wounded after going to Burke’s home.
At a preliminary hearing in July, prosecutors said Burke met Celeste when she was 11 and began sexually abusing her when she was 13, The Guardian reported. NBC News reported that prosecutors said Burke began a relationship with her when she was 13 and ended it after she threatened to expose him. Text messages revealed in court showed Celeste had become pregnant by Burke and had an abortion, according to NBC News. The Guardian reported that messages showed she assured him the baby was his and that photos submitted at the hearing showed the two kissing and lying in bed.
Burke’s defense argued there is no evidence he intended to kill Celeste and that no witnesses or cameras captured her entering his house during the timeframe prosecutors allege she was killed, The Guardian reported.
Burke recently changed legal representation. His high-profile attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter withdrew from the case in late August, The Guardian reported, and no reasons were given. NBC News reported that Burke abruptly parted ways with his legal team last month and asked to be represented by public defenders.
Patrick Steinfeld, an attorney for Celeste’s family, criticized that move, saying Burke “does not deserve a public defender given his status and fame on social media.”
“The residents of Los Angeles County should be outraged because it will be the taxpayers that are picking up the tab to defend this millionaire,” Steinfeld said. “David Anthony Burke is not indigent.”
An attorney for Burke did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment. The Guardian reported Burke has been ordered held without bail and that a trial date has not yet been set.
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