The family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez is now publicly calling for her accused killer, the singer known as D4vd, to face the death penalty. On Sunday, the eve of what would’ve been her 16th birthday, the family released a new photo of her, along with a statement saying the death penalty for D4vd would be perfect for this kind of human being, devoid of feelings and emptiness inside, and without conscience.
… But that's not in our hands, but rather in God's, and the California justice system,
the family statement also read. Singer D4vd is now being represented by a public defender after his previous lawyers withdrew from his murder case on Monday. Rivas Hernandez was just 14 when prosecutors say her then-boyfriend David Anthony Burke, the singer’s full name, murdered her and left her dismembered body in his car in 2025.
Burke is behind bars and has been ordered to stand trial on a murder charge in her death. He is due back in court next month. County public defender.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s parents have lobbied for the death penalty if D4vd is found guilty of the murder of their daughter, who would have turned 16 on Monday. In a rare public statement since criminal proceedings against the singer began, the Rivas Hernandez family asked Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman to pursue the death penalty against D4vd as opposed to a life sentence if convicted.
“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 family said in a statement to the California Post.
Any decision to pursue the death penalty has been delayed in part because the singer born David Burke decided to drop his legal team last week and instead employ a public defender; Hochman told the press at the time he was awaiting a mitigation packet from the public defender arguing why Burke shouldn’t face the death penalty. While California hasn’t executed anyone since 2006, and Governor Gavin Newsom announced a reprieve on all executions in 2019, Hochman opened the possibility of once again handing out capital punishment in extreme murder trials.
Effective immediately, the prior administration’s extreme and categorical policy forbidding prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in any case is rescinded,
Hochman said in a statement. In its place, the new murder with special circumstances policy will consider pursuing the death penalty only after an extensive and comprehensive review and only in exceedingly rare cases.
At his rearraignment last week, Burke pleaded not guilty on charges he sexually abused 14-year-old Rivas Hernandez before killing and dismembering her and concealing her remains in the front trunk of his Tesla.
Singer D4vd was charged with first-degree murder and other crimes in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas, who was reported missing in the spring of 2025. The Lake Elsinore girl’s decomposed body was found Sept. 8, 2025, in the front trunk of a Tesla impounded at a Los Angeles tow yard. Police said Celeste’s death likely occurred in the spring of last year.
The car was impounded after someone reported it was abandoned in the Hollywood Hills, where neighbors say it had been parked for more than a month. The medical examiner’s office listed Celeste’s cause of death as multiple penetrating injuries caused by an object or objects.
Burke was charged with first-degree murder, including special circumstances allegations that can increase sentencing penalties. He also faces one count each of continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains.
Burke pleaded not guilty Aug. 31 to the charges after a preliminary hearing in July when prosecutors presented a significant amount of evidence, including phone content, text messages and more. D4vd, whose real name is David Burke, was ordered by a judge last month to stand trial in the killing of the teen, whose remains were found a year ago in the front trunk of his abandoned Tesla.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has said possible sentences, if Burke is convicted as charged, include life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. A decision will be made at a later date. NBC News reached out to Burke’s attorney for comment.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman is currently weighing whether to pursue the death penalty or life imprisonment for the performer, whose real name is David Burke, ahead of his trial later this year. Steinfeld and family members of Celeste Rivas Hernandez arrive at a courthouse following the arrest of singer David Anthony Burke, known professionally as d4vd, on Monday, April 20, 2026, in Los Angeles, California.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez
Celeste would have been turning 16 on Monday, and Tuesday marks one year to the day since her body was found in the front trunk of a Tesla in a Hollywood tow yard. Releasing a never-before-seen picture of their daughter, her family told The Post: “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.” It added: But that’s not in our hands, but rather in God’s, and the California justice system.
It’s signed The Rivas Hernandez Family.
David Burke
The decision on whether Burke faces life in prison or death if convicted on the charges lies in Hochman’s hands. Last Monday, moments after Burke was dropped by his legal team for a public defender in a dramatic hearing, Hochman took to the mics and said he had not made a decision yet.
