Celeste Rivas Hernandez's family speaks out after D4vd was charged in her death: "All we want is justice"
The family of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez shared their first public statement on Tuesday, a day after singer and songwriter D4vd was charged with murder in their daughter's death.
"We would like to thank the Los Angeles Police Department and the District Attorney's Office for their hard work. We would like to thank the people of Lake Elsinore for all their support," the statement said, in part. "Celeste was a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance. Every Friday night was movie night and we spent wonderful times together. We love her very much and she always told us that she loved us. We miss her deeply."
"All we want is Justice for Celeste," the statement said.
D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, was charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances, lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14 and mutilating a body on Monday morning after he was arrested last week after becoming the target of a grand jury investigation. The murder charges also include special circumstances like lying in wait, committing the crime for financial gain and murdering the witness in an investigation, as well as special circumstances allegations that Burke personally used a sharp instrument to commit the crime in April 2025.
During a press conference on Monday, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced the charges and said that Burke's murder charge could carry the maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
Hochman alleged that 14-year-old Rivas Hernandez was killed after she threatened to expose Burke's criminal conduct, including the "repeated lewd and lascivious sexual relations" that he had with her as a child under 14 years old. Charging documents allege that Burke committed the crime of "continuous sexual abuse" beginning on or about Sept. 2023, when Rivas Hernandez had just turned 13.
Rivas' remains were discovered in the trunk of a Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard in Sept. 2025. The vehicle, which is registered to Burke, had a foul smell that caused employees to alert police. Court records show that the body was "severely decomposed" and "dismembered." Hochman said on Monday that her body was stuffed into two bags and left to decompose for four months before it was found.
The teen was reported missing from Lake Elsinore in April 2024, a year before she was allegedly killed, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office. Los Angeles police said that she was at Burke's home in the Hollywood Hills as late as April 23, 2025 at the singer's invitation.
Burke pleaded not guilty during his initial court appearance on Monday and is due back in court on Thursday. He is being held without the possibility of bail.
