Overview
- The victim’s father, through attorney Patrick Steinfeld, rejected online claims the family took money or had any contact with David Anthony Burke.
- Burke has pleaded not guilty to all counts, and his lawyers say the evidence will show he did not cause Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s death.
- Prosecutors allege Burke paid a junior high student $1,000 to deliver a secret phone to Celeste and exchanged messages about sex, pregnancy, abortion, and Plan B, with records showing trips to Las Vegas, London, and Texas.
- Court filings say Burke killed and dismembered the 14-year-old in April 2025, with her remains later found in his impounded Tesla, and investigators cite tool purchases under a false name and visits to a Santa Barbara County site.
- Mirror US reports an updated death certificate does not confirm whether Celeste had been pregnant in the prior year, and a former friend says Burke had grown guarded and stressed before his arrest.