'Celeste is a Liar' Message at Coachella Explained: The Sickening Note Targeting D4vd's Alleged Victim

Festivalgoers at Coachella in California looked up on Saturday 18 April to see a plane spell out the words 'Celeste is a liar', a message that online users quickly linked to the murder case involving singer D4vd and 15 year old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

The message appeared one day after authorities arrested D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, on Friday 17 April. The 'Romantic Homicide' singer was detained at the home where he was staying in connection with Celeste's death, after her decomposing body was found last year inside an abandoned Tesla in Hollywood that investigators said was registered to him. The case has been under investigation for about a year, and no verdict has been reached in court.

How The 'Celeste Is A Liar' Message Hijacked Coachella

On any other weekend, the phrase might have been dismissed as a provocative publicity stunt. Instead, as videos of the skywriting spread across social media, the timing and wording pushed many viewers towards a far darker conclusion.

On TikTok, X and Instagram, users quickly began sharing clips of the message and asking who 'Celeste' was meant to be. Within hours, many posts were linking it to Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the teenager at the centre of the case against D4vd.

One user condemned the stunt outright, writing: 'Just a horrible thing to do. Supporting an alleged murder and shaming the victim that died of a horrible death at the hands of a real sick person.' There is no confirmed evidence showing who arranged the message or what its purpose was, but the comment reflected the mood of many viewers online.

Another person focused on Celeste's age, arguing that blaming a minor in any way crossed a line. 'I think the definition of gaslighting is taking anything out on a 15 year old child,' the user wrote, before adding that this was 'the exact reason' statutory rape laws exist in America.

Other users tried to push a different explanation. One claimed, without proof, that the message was linked to promotion for the Netflix title Roommates. That theory gained traction because a character in the film is named Celeste and is accused of lying, but no official confirmation has been provided.

Others returned repeatedly to the idea that the phrase was a direct attack on a dead teenager. 'This is so sick,' one person wrote, questioning how Celeste could have lied about anything when she could no longer speak for herself. Another post called for the harshest possible punishment for those believed to be responsible.

None of those theories about intent has been confirmed by festival organisers, the skywriting company, Netflix or anyone publicly tied to the criminal case. For now, they remain interpretations driven by timing, coincidence and outrage.

D4vd's Arrest And The Shadow Over Celeste's Name

The reaction to the phrase cannot really be separated from the case itself. Investigators say Celeste Rivas Hernandez's body was found last year inside a Tesla that had been abandoned and impounded in Hollywood.

When officers traced the vehicle, they found it was registered to David Anthony Burke, who performs as D4vd. Police had been investigating Celeste's death for about a year before arresting Burke on Friday 17 April at the home where he was staying.

Reports describe the arrest as being linked to Celeste's killing, although the exact charges were not detailed in the material cited. Less than a day later, the words 'Celeste is a liar' appeared above Coachella.

That timing is what drove much of the online reaction. To many viewers, the message looked like an attempt to discredit a teenager who is no longer alive to defend herself, just as public attention was returning to the case.

Others remain unconvinced that the skywriting had anything to do with the investigation. They argue it may have been part of a guerrilla marketing campaign tied to Roommates, but no person or company has publicly claimed responsibility.

What is clear is the impact. A phrase that might otherwise have passed as cryptic festival theatre instead landed in the middle of a murder case and on top of a grieving family's pain.

The words 'Celeste is a liar' have since become shorthand online for a wider argument about how victims, especially teenage girls, are spoken about in public long before a court reaches any conclusion. Until it is established who paid for the message and why, the incident is likely to remain another flashpoint in a case that is already under intense scrutiny.