Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s family are commemorating her life on birthday.
The family issued a statement via their attorneys on Monday (Sept. 7), what would’ve been Rivas’ 16th birthday.
“Today we are experiencing so many emotions, praying and singing ‘Happy Birthday,’ reliving unforgettable moments even though she is no longer here,” the family’s statement read. “These are feelings that only a father and mother and her siblings can share, with a heavy heart. We will always remember every moment and every good time we spent with Celestita!”
Neighbors also gathered in Rivas’ hometown of Lake Elsinore, California for a vigil on Monday, according to NBC Los Angeles. A memorial area was set up with a small shrine of flowers, candles, stuffed animals, balloons and handwritten notes.
“It's the right thing to do for Celeste. She needs a voice. She needs her picture out, the lights on her 24/7 and all her things around her. That's what she needs," said Kayleigh Cortez, the neighbor who built the memorial a year ago and organized this year’s birthday gathering.
“It's heartbreaking because she's not here," she added. "Sixteen is such a great age. It's when you're finding yourself. You're figuring out who you are. I'm sad she's not here, but I know she can see all of us in Heaven, and she's excited."
On Sunday (Sept. 6), the family shared a statement with the California Post, saying the death penalty for singer D4vd (real name David Burke), who is accused of murdering Rivas and dismembering her remains, would be “perfect.”
“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,” they said.
Rivas’ dismembered remains were discovered in September 2025, inside the front trunk of the “Romantic Homicide” singer’s Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard. Investigators believe she died in the spring of 2025, when she was 14.
Burke, now 21, was arrested in the Hollywood Hills in April and has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains.
Prosecutors allege he began a relationship with Celeste when she was 13 and killed her after she threatened to expose it.
The district attorney's office has filed special-circumstance allegations of murder of a witness and murder for financial gain, which make Burke eligible for execution. District Attorney Nathan Hochman is weighing whether to pursue death or life without parole.
Burke, now represented by the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office after his previous attorneys withdrew, remains jailed without bail. He is due back in court October 19 for a status conference, with trial possible within 90 days of that hearing.
