Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s family has publicly demanded the death penalty for accused killer David Burke, the singer known as D4vd, in their first statement on capital punishment in his case.
The Rivas Hernandez family issued an exclusive statement to the California Post on the eve of what would have been Celeste’s 16th birthday Monday, calling execution the “perfect” punishment for the performer they described as “devoid of feelings and emptiness inside, and without conscience.” Their statement, signed “The Rivas Hernandez Family,” added: “But that’s not in our hands, but rather in God’s, and the California justice system.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H83T6iJrtI
Tuesday marks the one-year anniversary of the discovery of the 15-year-old’s dismembered body in the trunk of Burke’s Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard. Her family released a never-before-seen photograph of their daughter alongside their statement.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman now holds the decision on whether to seek death or life imprisonment for Burke, 21, ahead of his trial later this year. The family watched in horror during preliminary hearings last month as images of Celeste’s decapitated and mutilated corpse were displayed in court, ignoring their attorney’s advice to look away. The couple was later seen crying in the courthouse hallway after viewing images of their daughter’s severed limbs, head, torso and fingers.
Hochman addressed reporters last Monday immediately after Burke dramatically dropped his high-profile private legal team for a public defender. The DA stated he had not yet decided on the death penalty and was awaiting a mitigation packet from Burke’s former attorneys outlining arguments against capital punishment. He said he would allow the new public defender time to submit a packet if desired.
Hochman earlier this year reversed the previous administration’s blanket ban on seeking the death penalty, announcing a new policy of pursuing it only “in exceedingly rare cases” after extensive review. He emphasized that families of murder victims would have “consultation” and “full input, to ensure that the punishment sought by the office is just, fair, fitting and appropriate.”
Prosecutors allege Burke ordered an Uber to transport Celeste from her family home in Lake Elsinore to his Hollywood Hills residence on the night of April 23, after months of dating that left her pregnant. He allegedly stabbed her and stood by as she bled to death, then loaded her body into his Tesla and drove to Santa Barbara. Her passport card was allegedly discovered in the same location where a Cal Trans worker later tracked Burke’s vehicle.
Court documents detail a chilling sequence of purchases in the weeks following her death. Burke allegedly ordered a shovel from Home Depot via Postmates delivery to his home. Approximately one week later, he ordered two chainsaws from Amazon, also delivered to his residence. On May 5, he allegedly ordered a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags and a blue inflatable pool.
Investigators testified that Burke dismembered Hernandez with a chainsaw in the inflatable pool, and pieces of the pool were found on her remains during autopsy, according to the medical examiner. The medical examiner’s findings linked the pool fragments directly to the dismemberment process.
Burke had maintained a public career as D4vd throughout the period of his relationship with Celeste and the months following her death. His music, including viral hits that built his online following, continued to circulate on streaming platforms as the investigation progressed.
The family’s statement represents their most forceful intervention in the legal process to date, shifting from private grief to public advocacy for the maximum penalty available under California law. Their description of Burke as someone who “only caused pain to our daughter, our family, and the world that supports our precious daughter” frames their position in both personal and broader terms.
Hochman has not yet indicated when he expects to reach his decision on capital punishment, and his office did not immediately respond to requests for reaction to the family’s statement.
Burke remains in custody as his new public defender prepares for trial proceedings scheduled to begin later this year.