D4vd, his mom and manager are sued by Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s family exactly one year after teen’s dismembered body was found inside his Tesla
The family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old whose dismembered remains were found in singer D4vd's Tesla, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against him and several people and companies tied to him, exactly one year after her body was discovered. The suit, brought by parents Mercedes Martinez and Jesus Rivas in Los Angeles Superior Court, largely mirrors criminal charges already brought against the musician, real name David Anthony Burke, but also targets his management firm, mother and security guard for allegedly enabling and covering up the abuse.
The lawsuit alleges Burke, 21, began a sexual relationship with Rivas Hernandez in November 2023 when she was 13, exchanging thousands of explicit messages with her, and that he stabbed her to death in April 2025 after she threatened to expose him, before dismembering her body with a chainsaw. It further claims management company Mogul Vision, run by his mother Colleen Burke, and his security guard Sheldon Jacques facilitated his isolation of the teenager and helped conceal evidence, while finance manager Robert Morganroth allegedly funded his behaviour. The family is seeking damages including funeral costs and loss of companionship; Mogul Vision has previously denied any knowledge of wrongdoing, and Burke has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.
- Celeste Rivas Hernandez's family sues D4vd for wrongful death, one year on
- Suit also names his mother, manager and security guard as enablers
- Burke faces separate murder and sexual abuse charges, denies wrongdoing
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Advocates for holding the wider circle accountable argue that allegations of abuse and violence against a minor rarely occur in a vacuum, and that if a management company, family member or security staff genuinely facilitated isolation of the teenager or helped conceal evidence afterwards, civil liability is an appropriate mechanism to compensate the family and deter enablers who might otherwise escape criminal charges. Wrongful death suits exist precisely to let grieving families seek accountability and financial redress, including funeral costs and loss of companionship, particularly where institutional actors around a powerful individual may have had means and motive to look away.
The case against
Those urging caution note that a lawsuit's allegations are not proven facts, and that Mogul Vision has denied any knowledge of wrongdoing while Burke has pleaded not guilty to the underlying criminal charges, meaning associates like his mother, security guard and finance manager risk being tried in public opinion before any court has tested the claims against them. Fair-minded observers would argue that civil suits filed alongside high-profile criminal cases can sometimes cast too wide a net, potentially implicating people whose only connection was employment or family ties rather than genuine complicity, and that due process should be allowed to run its course before reputations are further damaged.