Victim’s family urges officials to seek death penalty vs. singer D4vd

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) - The family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old girl allegedly killed by singer D4vd last year, is calling for the defendant to face the death penalty.  

The 21-year-old singer, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges stemming from the death. He is due back in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Oct. 19 for a status conference.   

The girl's dismembered and decomposing remains were found in the trunk of Burke's Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard on Sept. 8, 2025. According to a prosecution court filing, the vehicle had been towed three days earlier while parked about 400 feet from Burke's Hollywood Hills home.

"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,'' the Rivas Hernandez family said in a statement provided to media, as they marked what would have been her 16th birthday Monday.  

"But that's not in our hands, but rather in God's, and the California justice system,'' the family added.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has said that he has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty for Burke.   

California still has the death penalty on the books, but the last time a condemned prisoner was executed in the state was January 2006. Gov. Gavin Newsom placed an official moratorium on executions in 2019.   

Burke was charged April 20 with capital murder in the 2025 death, along with the special circumstance allegations of lying in wait, murder for financial gain and killing a witness in a criminal investigation.  

He remains jailed without bail.   

Burke is also charged with one count each of continuous sexual abuse of a child under age 14 and mutilation of human remains.   

Prosecutors contend the singer killed the underage girl to prevent her from damaging his burgeoning music career by going public about their lengthy sexual relationship.  

Burke is being represented by a public defender after his three previous attorneys withdrew from the case last Monday.   

The victim's relatives slammed that development in a further statement this weekend.  

"The Rivas Hernandez family was shocked to learn that David Anthony Burke claims to be indigent,'' they said. "It is unfathomable that our justice system qualifies David Anthony Burke as indigent when D4VD has 5+ billion streams with 16 million monthly listeners on a single streaming platform, and controls three corporations (D4VD Entertainment, Skullrose Merchandise and Headspace Publishing).  

"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 on charges of murder, continuous sexual assault of a minor under 14 years of age, and unlawful mutilation of human remains.

"David Anthony Burke is not indigent,'' the statement continued. "His assets are protected by his companies. Perhaps he would have money if he just asked one of his corporations, or if he had not fraudulently transferred assets to his mother/manager Colleen Burke (who is raking in $75,000 a year from D4VD Ent.) in a blatant attempt to `protect his estate from any civil suit, so the victim's family wouldn't be able to ... access ... that money,' as was testified to in Burke's preliminary hearing."