Family accuses D4vd’s inner circle of enabling abuse of Celeste Rivas Hernandez

The family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez has sued singer D4vd and members of his inner circle, alleging he sexually abused the California teenager before stabbing her to death and dismembering her with a power saw. The alleges he severed two of the 14-year-old’s fingers, including one tattooed with his name, and hid her remains in his Tesla for months.

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D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, has pleaded not guilty to murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. Celeste’s dismembered body was discovered in the Tesla at a Hollywood impound lot on Sept. 8, 2025. Days later, police searched the Hollywood Hills mansion where Burke had been staying. The property’s owner told SFGATE at the time that he did now know D4vd or that he had been staying at the house. 

Prosecutors allege Burke killed Celeste inside the mansion that April, days before his debut album’s release, because she threatened to expose their relationship and destroy his rising career.

Celeste’s parents filed the complaint Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, one year after her body was discovered. They seek unspecified compensatory and punitive damages from Burke, his mother, managers and live-in security guard, and several companies associated with Burke. The claims include wrongful death, sexual battery, childhood sexual assault, false imprisonment and human trafficking.

The family alleges Burke contacted Celeste online in August 2022, when she was 11 and he was 17. They met the following year and began having sex when she was 13 and he was 18, the complaint says. Over roughly 16 months, they allegedly exchanged between 8,000 and 9,000 texts. Burke allegedly gave her a secret phone, used false identities and paid for travel that allowed them to meet without her parents’ knowledge.

According to the lawsuit, Burke acknowledged in messages that he had sex with Celeste at least six times when she was 13. Other messages discussed Plan B, pregnancy and an abortion he allegedly pressured her to undergo, the lawsuit says. The suit alleges he also created sexually explicit images of her and continued the relationship after police told him she was a 13-year-old runaway.

The lawsuit says Burke’s inner circle provided money, housing, transportation and security that “enabled Burke to isolate” Celeste. His management company allegedly leased the Hollywood Hills mansion where Burke lived at the time of the killing and hired a live-in guard who transported her. His mother, who worked as his finance director, allegedly controlled company funds. The defendants knew or should have known Celeste was being exploited and failed to protect her, the complaint alleges. The management company and Burke’s finance manager previously denied knowing about the relationship, the Los Angeles Times reported.

D4vd first found an audience making music for Fortnite videos. His 2022 single “Romantic Homicide” went viral on TikTok and has more than 1 billion Spotify plays, leading to a deal with a major label, an opening slot for SZA, and his debut album, “Withered,” released two days after prosecutors say Celeste was killed.

By then, the relationship had deteriorated. Celeste accused Burke of seeing other women and said she wanted more from her life, messages presented at a preliminary hearing in the criminal case showed. On April 22, 2025, she allegedly threatened to expose their relationship, writing, “i will end ur career and ur life.” the threat gave Burke a motive to silence her as his album and world tour were about to launch.

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The next evening, Celeste asked Burke to send a car to her Lake Elsinore home. An Uber driver delivered her to his house shortly after 10 p.m., court records allege. “Gate open. Door unlocked,” he texted her. Her phone went silent about 20 minutes later. Prosecutors say Burke stabbed her in the abdomen and chest, piercing her liver and chipping her ribs, and then failed to call 911 as she bled to death.

Prosecutors allege Burke then spent months trying to hide her body. He allegedly ordered a shovel, two chain saws, an inflatable pool, body bags and heavy-duty laundry bags, sometimes under false names. Investigators believe he placed Celeste in the pool and used a saw to sever her limbs. Blue plastic fragments consistent with the pool were found in her remains, investigators say. Burke later allegedly ordered a metal “burn cage” and made several trips to Santa Barbara County, where Celeste’s passport card was found.

Celeste’s ring and pinky fingers have never been recovered, according to the complaint. Her ring finger bore a tattoo of “David,” while a “Shhh…” tattoo appeared to match one on Burke’s hand. The suit alleges Burke packed her remains into two bags, hid them in the Tesla’s front trunk and used air fresheners to attempt to mask the smell. Before leaving on tour in July 2025, he allegedly abandoned the car near his home. After it was towed, workers at a Hollywood lot reported a foul odor on Sept. 8. Police found Celeste’s dismembered and decomposed body inside.

During a five-day preliminary hearing in Burke’s criminal case, forensic analysts testified that Celeste’s DNA matched apparent blood recovered from his garage, Tesla and charging equipment. The defense questioned the handling and testing of evidence and argued prosecutors had not demonstrated malice. A judge nevertheless found probable cause to send Burke to trial and kept him jailed without bail.

A GoFundMe created on Celeste’s family’s behalf called her “a beloved daughter, sister, cousin, and friend” and said her relatives were “heartbroken and devastated.” In a statement released the day before what would have been her 16th birthday, the family said the death penalty “would be perfect” if Burke is convicted. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has not announced whether he will push for the death penalty.

Burke’s lawyers withdrew on Aug. 31, and he is now represented by the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office. His new attorney said Burke deserves a defense that “carefully examines the evidence.” No trial date has been set. He is due back in court on Oct. 19 as he awaits trial for murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. He has pleaded not guilty.