TLDR: The D4vd wrongful death lawsuit raises new questions about whether anyone else knew about, enabled or concealed the alleged crimes against Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
The criminal case against D4vd is casting a wider shadow. As the singer born David Burke awaits trial in Los Angeles, the family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez has filed a wrongful death lawsuit naming Burke, his mother, managers and others in his circle. The D4vd wrongful death lawsuit sharpens a question already hanging over the case: if the allegations are true, did anyone else help isolate or exploit the 14-year-old, or conceal what happened to her?
In a new Law&Crime Network interview, host Jesse Weber speaks with family attorney Patrick Steinfeld about the 20-page complaint and whether other people could face criminal exposure. The lawsuit’s claims remain allegations, and Burke has pleaded not guilty. Still, its list of defendants signals that Celeste’s parents believe responsibility reaches beyond the man charged with her murder.
Complex reports that prosecutors accuse Burke of “brutally killing [the 14-year-old] because he feared their illicit sexual relationship would ruin his aspiring career.” Along with first-degree murder, he faces charges of continuous sexual abuse of a child and unlawful mutilation of human remains. The outlet also quotes Steinfeld calling Burke’s claim that he is indigent “unfathomable,” alleging the artist is a “millionaire” whose assets are “protected by his companies.”
Finances have become another pressure point in both cases. TMZ reports that Burke’s father sold a Houston home for $229,000 in July after taking out a $138,000 loan on another property in April. The outlet called Burke’s lack of funds “noteworthy given the $11 million he made from his Interscope deal alone.” After his private lawyers withdrew, the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office took over his defence.
The civil suit cannot determine criminal guilt, but it may force people around Burke to answer questions under oath and expose records prosecutors could examine. For Celeste’s family, it is another route toward accountability. Now, the case may reveal how much the people around Burke knew and whether any of them helped him.
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