The parents of Celeste Rivas Hernandez are urging Los Angeles County prosecutors to seek the death penalty against singer D4vd as District Attorney Nathan Hochman weighs whether to pursue capital punishment in the 14-year-old girl’s killing.
D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges carrying special-circumstance allegations that could make him eligible for either the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. A judge ordered the 21-year-old singer to stand trial in July.
Celeste’s parents called for the harsher punishment in a statement released shortly before what would have been her 16th birthday. They described Burke as lacking conscience and empathy and said the death penalty would be appropriate if he is convicted, while acknowledging that the decision rests with prosecutors and the courts.
Hochman has not decided whether his office will seek a death sentence.
The decision was delayed after Burke’s private attorneys withdrew from the case on Aug. 31 and the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office took over his defense. Hochman said the new attorneys will receive additional time to submit mitigation materials before prosecutors reach a decision.
A mitigation packet allows defense attorneys to present information they believe weighs against a death sentence. Hochman has said his office will consider those materials alongside aggravating factors in the case.
Burke is charged with murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. Prosecutors have also alleged three special circumstances: murder of a witness, murder for financial gain, and murder by means of lying in wait.
Those allegations are what make the case eligible for capital punishment. Even if Burke is convicted, prosecutors would still have to persuade a jury to impose a death sentence rather than life without parole.
The case comes as Los Angeles County takes a different approach to capital punishment under Hochman.
After taking office, Hochman rescinded former District Attorney George Gascón’s categorical policy against seeking the death penalty. His office announced in March 2025 that capital punishment could again be considered in special-circumstance murder cases after an extensive review and only in what it described as exceedingly rare cases.
The policy also gives defense attorneys an opportunity to present mitigating evidence and calls for the views of surviving family members to be considered before prosecutors make a final determination.
California continues to authorize the death penalty, although Gov. Gavin Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019. The state has not carried out an execution since 2006. The moratorium prevents executions while it remains in effect but does not eliminate death sentences or prevent prosecutors from seeking capital punishment in eligible cases.
Prosecutors accuse Burke of killing Celeste in April 2025 after she threatened to expose their relationship and damage his music career.
According to evidence presented at Burke’s preliminary hearing, Celeste went to his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, and was not seen alive again. Prosecutors allege Burke later ordered a shovel, three chainsaws, a body bag and an inflatable pool.
They contend he fatally stabbed Celeste before dismembering her body. Blood matching Celeste’s DNA profile was found in Burke’s garage, according to prosecutors.
Her decomposed and dismembered remains were discovered Sept. 8, 2025, inside the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke after the vehicle had been impounded in Los Angeles. Prosecutors said blue plastic fragments matching the inflatable pool were found embedded in her remains.
Burke has denied the allegations through his defense and pleaded not guilty again at his Aug. 31 arraignment. The charges remain allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Burke is scheduled to return to Los Angeles County Superior Court on Oct. 19 for a status conference as his new defense team prepares its mitigation presentation. A trial date has not yet been set.
An attorney for the family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez alleges D4vd concealed substantial assets despite being approved for publicly funded legal representation in his criminal case.Patrick Steinfeld, who represents the 14-year-old’s family, is challenging that determination and accuses D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, of holding money through... Read More »
Singer D4vd pleaded not guilty Monday in the murder case involving 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez and replaced his private attorneys with lawyers from the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office.The 21-year-old singer, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, faces charges of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under... Read More »
A Los Angeles judge has ruled that the case against musician D4vd will proceed to trial, finding sufficient evidence to support charges that the singer killed and dismembered 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo issued the decision Monday after determining prosecutors had cleared the "probable cause" threshold required... Read More »
D4vd, the platinum-selling artist charged in the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, sat through another day of testimony Thursday in a Los Angeles courtroom as forensic experts detailed DNA evidence connecting him to a trash bag containing what prosecutors say was the teenager's blood.The bag was pulled from the... Read More »
Prosecutors opened a closely watched preliminary hearing in the murder case against musician D4vd on Tuesday by presenting graphic photographic evidence of the dismembered remains of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The proceeding marked the first major courtroom presentation of evidence since the singer's arrest earlier this year.David Anthony Burke, the... Read More »
