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 inside his Doheny Place home. The sexual relationship continued even after a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy told Burke that Celeste was underage, the lawsuit claims.
The night before the Los Angeles Police Department and prosecutors believe Celeste was killed, the lawsuit alleges, the teen and Burke got into an argument and she allegedly messaged “I will end ur career and ur life.”
With his music career taking off and a debut album about to be released, the lawsuit alleges, Burke was making millions of dollars and had a reason to silence the teenager. The family’s complaint claims that in April 2025 he arranged for an Uber to pick her up from her home in Riverside County and deliver her to his residence, where she was then killed. The lawsuit’s motive matches allegations that prosecutors have made in court filings and at Burke’s preliminary hearing in July.
Burke allegedly messaged Celeste “gates open, door’s unlocked” at 10:10 p.m on the night of the killing. About 20 minutes later, prosecutors and the lawsuit allege, Burke stabbed her twice, then “let her bleed to death,” a process that could have taken a few minutes to an hour.
Both the lawsuit and prosecutors allege that Burke used a chainsaw to sever Celeste’s limbs in his garage and tried to collect the blood in a kiddie pool. He is also accused of amputating two of her fingers to hide evidence of a pair of matching tattoos they had gotten together.
The lawsuit alleges that others “enabled Burke to isolate the decedent” and “facilitated” his travel, house and security. The suit alleges the management company Mogul Vision leased the home and hired the in-house security guard. His mother, Colleen Burke, ran his firm and his finance manager, Robert Mogenroth, approved all the payments that funded his behavior, the lawsuit claims.
Mogul Vision and Mogenroth have previously denied knowing about the singer and the teen.
Burke’s bodyguard, identified in the lawsuit as Sheldon Jacques, allegedly lived in the home at the time of the sexual abuse and helped transport the teenage girl. The lawsuit, in addition to wrongful death, seeks damages for sexual abuse of a minor and negligence by all those named who surrounded the singer.
Jacques could not be reached for comment.
On Monday, which would have been Celeste’s 16th birthday, her family called for Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman to seek capital punishment for the singer.
“If the death penalty were activated, it would be perfect for this kind of human being, devoid of feelings and emptiness inside, and without conscience, who only caused pain to our daughter, our family, and the world that supports our precious daughter,” the family said in a statement.
“But that’s not in our hands, but rather in God’s and the California justice system,” the family added.
Hochman has said that he has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty for Burke.
Last week, Burke swapped his high-powered legal team for representation from the Los Angeles County public defender’s office. An explanation as to why the switch was made has not been made public.
Celeste’s family attorney, Steinfeld, questioned the move in a statement, alleging the singer was using his companies to shield money he earned from his music career and had moved assets to his mother.
Times staff writers Stacey Perman and James Queally contributed to this report.
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