Celeste Rivas’ family releases first statement after D4vd is arrested and charged with her murder
The family of Celeste Rivas has released their first statement after the singer D4vd was arrested and charged in connection with her murder.
As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Rivas’ decomposed and chopped-up body was found in a Tesla owned by D4vd. The singer, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, was ultimately arrested by Los Angeles authorities on Thursday, April 16. He was subsequently charged on Monday, April 20, and he pleaded not guilty.
“We would like to thank the Los Angeles Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office for their hard work. We would also like to thank the people of Lake Elsinore for all their support. Celeste was a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance. Every Friday night was movie night and we spent wonderful times together,” Rivas’ parents, Jesus and Mercedes, said in a statement provided by their attorney, Patrick Steinfeld, per the New York Post.
“We love her very much and she always told us that she loved us. We miss her deeply. All we want is Justice for Celeste.”
Steinfeld also shared the family’s reaction after they heard the particulars of the case, saying that they were left devastated.
Following his arrest, prosecutors claimed that D4vd, 21, killed Rivas with a “sharp instrument,” TMZ reported. Rivas’ body was found in the front trunk of D4vd’s car on September 8, 2025, after her family reported her missing in 2024. Her mother also said that Rivas was dating an individual named David.
A top Los Angeles Police Department source told the entertainment news outlet that Rivas’ manner of death was ruled as homicide by the Medical Examiner.
D4vd is accused of murdering Rivas on April 23, 2025, before he mutilated her body on May 5th. Authorities claim that Rivas’ dismembered body was put in two bags, and it had been in the trunk of D4vd’s Tesla for four months.
Rivas is said to have gone to D4vd’s residence in Hollywood Hills in April 2025, and that was the last time she was heard from.
D4vd was on Monday charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances, mutilating a body, and lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14. The special circumstances comprise lying in wait, committing the crime for financial gain, and murdering a witness to an investigation, TMZ reported.
D4vd is accused of having a sexual relationship with Rivas, with D.A. Nathan Hochman claiming that he killed the teen to save his career after she threatened to make their sexual relationship public.
But following his arrest, D4vd’s attorneys released a statement saying that their client had nothing to do with Rivas’ murder.
“Let us be clear – the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death,” the statement partly said.
His attorneys also said that they will “vigorously defend David’s innocence.”
READ ALSO: Celeste Rivas: Teen whose decomposed body was found in D4vd’s Tesla laid to rest
