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“If the death penalty were activated, it would be perfect for this kind of human being, devoid of feelings and emptiness inside,” says family of victim who would have turned 16 on Monday<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\tCeleste Rivas Hernandez<\/a>\u2018s parents have lobbied for the death penalty if D4vd<\/a> is found guilty of the murder of their daughter<\/a>, who would have turned 16 on Monday.<\/p>\n \n\tIn a rare public statement since criminal proceedings against the singer began, the Rivas Hernandez family asked Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman to pursue the death penalty against D4vd as opposed to a life in prison sentence if convicted.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIf 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,\u201d the family said in a statement to the California Post<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0 \u201cBut that\u2019s not in our hands, but rather in God\u2019s, and the California justice system\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAny decision to pursue the death penalty has been delayed in part because the singer born David Burke decided to drop his legal team last week<\/a> and instead employ a public defender; Hochman told the press at the time he was awaiting a mitigation packet from the public defender arguing why Burke shouldn\u2019t face the death penalty.<\/p>\n \n\tWhile California hasn\u2019t executed anyone since 2006, and Governor Gavin Newsom announced a reprieve on all executions in 2019, Hochman opened the possibility of once again handing out capital punishment in extreme murder trials.<\/p>\n