The family of the teenage girl who allegedly was killed and dismembered by rising musician D4vd said they were shocked and horrified by the details revealed in court this week, according to a statement released by the family attorney.<\/p>\n
In a court brief filed Wednesday<\/a>, Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Silverman alleged that David Anthony Burke, who performs as D4vd, had covered up his lengthy sexual abuse of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez<\/a>, lured her to his Hollywood rental mansion, stabbed her<\/a> and let her bleed to death, and then used \u201ca chainsaw and perhaps other tools\u201d to cut up her body and remove two of her fingers to destroy a tattoo linking him to her. <\/p>\n Burke, 21, is charged with murder, continuous sex abuse of a minor and mutilating a corpse. Prosecutors say he killed Hernandez because she threatened to expose his abuse and ruin his music career. Prosecutors say Burke bought a shovel, two chainsaws, a body bag, heavy-duty laundry bags, a \u201cburn box,\u201d and a blue inflatable pool as part of a scheme to dispose of her body.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are no words to express the indescribable pain the family is experiencing right now,\u201d said attorney Patrick Steinfeld on behalf of the family. \u201cThey still have bills to pay and jobs they go to every day. All they want is time to grieve and heal.\u201d<\/p>\n He said that informing the family of the gruesome details was the most difficult thing he\u2019s done in his 37-year law career.<\/p>\n \u201cI originally encouraged the Rivas Hernandez family to speak publicly throughout the criminal process. They agreed with the full support of Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman. However, in light of the gruesome details emerging almost daily, the family has decided not to make any statements now or in the future,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Prosecutors\u2019 nine-page brief detailed an abusive relationship between the singer and the girl that allegedly started when she was just 11 and ended with her slaying in April 2025. In the days after Hernandez\u2019s death, Burke used an inflatable pool to contain Hernandez\u2019s body as the singer dismembered her remains in the garage, according to a brief prosecutors prepared for Burke\u2019s preliminary hearing, at which they will make their case to a judge that there\u2019s enough evidence for Burke to stand trial. Bits of plastic from the pool were discovered embedded in Hernandez\u2019s remains, the document said.<\/p>\n Hernandez\u2019s badly decomposed body was found in the trunk of Burke\u2019s Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard in September. Authorities said Hernandez was last seen at Burke\u2019s Hollywood residence on April 23, 2025. The two got into a \u201clengthy argument\u201d the night before, with Hernandez expressing jealousy over Burke\u2019s relationships with other women and \u201cthreaten[ing] to disclose damaging information about her relationship with defendant to end his career and destroy his life,\u201d Silverman wrote. <\/p>\n On the night police believe Hernandez was killed, according to the court filing, the singer ordered an Uber to bring her from her Lake Elsinore home to Hollywood around 8:40 p.m.<\/p>\n