Key facts
- Singer D4vd, David Anthony Burke, is on trial for the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
- Hernandez's dismembered body was discovered in the trunk of Burke's Tesla.
- Burke faces charges including first-degree murder, mutilation of human remains, and child sexual abuse.
- Hernandez's family has publicly called for Burke to receive the death penalty.
- A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Burke and his associates.
- Burke has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The family of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who recording artist D4vd is charged with fatally stabbing and dismembering, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the singer and some of his associates. The civil case was brought in Los Angeles County Superior Court six weeks after a judge ruled there was sufficient evidence for D4vd, born David Anthony Burke, to stand trial for murder.
The lawsuit mirrors criminal accusations that Burke arranged for Hernandez to be transported to his Hollywood Hills home in April 2025, where he allegedly stabbed her to death and then dismembered her body. Also named as defendants were Burke's manager, his talent management company, a live-in security guard, and his mother, who the lawsuit claims were complicit due to their knowledge of Burke's inappropriate relationship with Hernandez. The girl's parents, Mercedes Martinez and Jesus Rivas, also issued a statement calling for prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Burke if he is convicted.
Burke, arrested in April, faces charges of first-degree murder, mutilation of human remains, and child sexual abuse. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains jailed without bond. His dismembered remains were found five months later in the trunk of a Tesla sedan registered to Burke. The lawsuit alleges Burke began a sexual relationship with Hernandez when she was 13 and murdered her to silence her after she threatened to go public about their relationship, which would have ruined his career.