The household of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old lady whose dismembered stays authorities say have been present in D4vd’s towed Tesla final yr, is talking out for the primary time after the singer was charged within the teen’s alleged homicide.
D4vd — a 21-year-old Los Angeles resident whose authorized title is David Burke — was arrested final week following a monthslong investigation and charged Monday with first-degree homicide in reference to Rivas Hernandez’s dying.
LAKE ELSINORE, CA – SEPTEMBER 25, 2025: Images, intimate notes, and flowers are among the many objects left at a memorial on Thursday for slain teen Celeste Rivas Hernandez who was discovered useless within the trunk of a Tesla in a Hollywood tow yard on September 25, 2025 in Lake Elsinore, California.
Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Occasions by way of Getty Photographs
In an announcement launched by means of the household’s lawyer on Tuesday, the teenager’s dad and mom thanked the Los Angeles Police Division and the Los Angeles County District Lawyer’s Workplace “for his or her laborious work” and for the neighborhood’s assist.
“Celeste was a wonderful, robust lady who beloved to sing and dance,” her dad and mom, Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, stated. “Each Friday evening was film evening and we spent fantastic instances collectively.”
“We love her very a lot and he or she at all times informed us that she beloved us. We miss her deeply,” the assertion continued. “All we wish is justice for Celeste.”
Members of the teenager’s household attended D4vd’s first court docket look on Monday. The household’s lawyer, Patrick Steinfeld, stated in an announcement following D4vd’s arrest that the household “is dedicated to making sure that Celeste’s voice is heard and her reminiscence is honored all through this course of.”
D4vd faces a slew of costs and particular circumstances alleging he constantly dedicated “lewd and lascivious sexual acts” with the teenager whereas she was underneath the age of 14, and that he killed her for monetary achieve “to take care of his very profitable musical profession that Celeste was threatening” to show, Los Angeles County District Lawyer Nathan Hochman stated throughout a press briefing on Monday. The costs additionally allege he unlawfully mutilated human stays, Hochman stated.
A not responsible plea was entered on D4vd’s behalf throughout his arraignment on Monday, and he stays held on no bail.
The reserving picture for the singer D4vd — whose actual title is David Burke — is proven throughout a press briefing in Los Angeles on April 20, 2026.
LAPD
D4vd’s attorneys have maintained the “Romantic Murder” singer’s innocence since his arrest final Thursday.
“The precise proof on this case will present that David Burke didn’t homicide Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the reason for her dying,” his attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter stated in an announcement on Monday. “We’ll vigorously defend David’s innocence.”
Rivas Hernandez, a reported runaway from Riverside County, was final recognized to be alive on April 23, 2025, when she arrived at D4vd’s dwelling within the Hollywood Hills, in keeping with Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell. She was by no means heard from once more, Hochman stated.
On Sept. 8, 2025, her badly decomposed, dismembered physique was discovered within the trunk of D4vd’s deserted, impounded Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard, officers stated.
Her head and torso have been present in one bag, and her legs and arms in one other, in keeping with the court docket paperwork from Hochman filed in reference to a Los Angeles County grand jury investigation in reference to the teenager’s dying.
David Anthony Burke, whose stage title is D4vd, is arraigned Monday, April 20, 2026, in Los Angeles on costs of killing a 14-year-old lady whose dismembered physique was present in his automobile. (Ted Soqui/Pool Picture by way of AP)
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The Tesla had been on the impound lot for 2 days after being discovered deserted on a Hollywood road, investigators stated. The towed car was registered to Burke. Officers had responded to the impound lot “for a foul odor coming from a car,” Los Angeles police stated.
The teenager might have been useless for a number of weeks earlier than her physique was found, police stated. Her stays have been discovered a day after her fifteenth birthday, in keeping with her dying certificates.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has made a willpower on how she died, in keeping with Hochman. The health worker’s findings within the case are sealed.
