The family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez has called for singer D4vd to face the death penalty and is suing him for wrongful death. D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, was accused by prosecutors of killing teenager Hernandez and dismembering her body with a chainsaw.
Burke was charged with murder in April and pleaded not guilty to the charges in a Los Angeles court late last month. He had previously pleaded not guilty to murdering and sexually abusing the teen, whose remains were reportedly found in a Tesla registered in his name last autumn.
In a statement published on Monday, September 7, which would have been Hernandez’s 16th birthday, the victim’s family demanded that Burke face execution. The statement, released through the family’s attorney, said: “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.”