Family of D4vds alleged victim sues singer and calls for the death penalty
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Set us as preferred The family of Celeste Rivas Hernández has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the singer D4vd, who is charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting the teenager before killing her and dismembering her corpse in an attempt to cover up the alleged abuse.Celeste’s parents, Mercedes Martinez and Jesus Rivas, claimed in a court filing Monday that D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, killed their 14-year-old daughter on April 23, 2025, inside his Hollywood Hills home, echoing the allegations of prosecutors.The parents also issued a statement calling for Burke, 21, to face the death penalty if he is convicted.Burke has pleaded not guilty, with a trial in the case scheduled for next year.The family’s lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, seeks damages from the singer as well as his various companies and managers, his mother and a live-in security guard.
The suit alleges they knew or should have known of Burke’s inappropriate behavior and relationship with Celeste.The girl’s dismembered and decomposing remains were found in the trunk of Burke’s Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard on Sept.
8, 2025.Authorities said the car had spent weeks on a street near the singer’s home.The lawsuit alleges Burke began a “continuous sexual relationship” with Celeste in November 2023, when she was 13, that lasted until 2025.
According to the suit — and evidence shown by prosecutors in a preliminary hearing against Burke — the couple exchanged thousands of often sexual texts.In 2024, the lawsuit claims, they discussed the loss of a pregnancy and the use of the contraceptive pill Plan B.
Prosecutors have alleged that Burke pressured Celeste to get an abortion, a claim echoed by the family’s attorney, Patrick Steinfeld.According to the suit, Burke took photos of Celeste having sex with him i...