Family of killed teen call for death penalty in D4vd trial

What the report says

The family of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez is urging prosecutors to seek the death penalty if singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, is convicted of murdering her. BBC World News reported that the family said execution would be the appropriate punishment, although California currently has a temporary ban on capital punishment, which could affect any such outcome.

Burke has pleaded not guilty in the criminal case. He is accused of killing Hernandez after her dismembered remains were found in September 2025 in the trunk of a Tesla registered to his address. A judge found enough evidence in July to send the case to trial, and the matter is now scheduled for next year. Burke has since changed legal representation and is being defended by a public defender.

In a separate civil case filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Hernandez’s parents are seeking money damages, including funeral and burial costs. Their complaint repeats allegations similar to those in the criminal case and adds claims of wrongful death, false imprisonment and childhood sexual assault. They also argue that Burke and people around him helped isolate the teenager and maintain control over her.

The family’s demand came on what would have been Hernandez’s 16th birthday, adding emotional weight to a case that has drawn wide attention because it involves a high-profile musician and serious allegations of abuse and homicide. What happens next will depend on the criminal trial, the civil lawsuit and any decision by prosecutors on whether to pursue capital punishment.