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 oldCeleste Rivas Hernandez.
The message appeared one day after authorities arrested D4vd, whose real name isDavid Anthony Burke, on Friday 17 April. The'Romantic Homicide' singerwas detained at the home where he was staying in connection with Celeste's death, after her decomposing body was found last year inside an abandonedTesla in Hollywoodthat investigators said was registered to him. The case has been under investigation for about a year, and no verdict has been reached in court.
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.
Vile 'Celeste is a liar' sky message appears above Coachella after D4vd's arrest for murderhttps://t.co/fyqCWiCTygpic.twitter.com/b69dOeBzzO
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 theNetflix titleRoommates. 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.
Source: International Business Times UK
