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The case with Celeste Rivas Hernandez is no different from what we’ve seen with Megan Thee Stallion, Amber Heard, and others.

Layla Brown-Clark, Culture Writer

Abuse can come in all shapes and forms, and each time it’s platformed on a public scale, there are two reactions from the public that the victim can receive: public support or scrutiny. This came about with the recent case with Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Last September, the remains of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez were discovered in the front trunk of David Burke’s, formerly known as d4vd, Tesla. The narrative is what many news outlets and the general public has seen before: a minor groomed and abused by an adult several years older than her and faced deadly consequences in tow.

Irma Gualpa, who connected to a few of his songs, could not believe the news was true, especially with the singer being on tour at first.

“I didn’t think it was real. I was like ‘No way, he wouldn’t do that. He’s on tour!’ I wasn’t a big fan but I liked a few of his songs,” Gualpa said. “Then, all the Internet sleuths were bringing up all this evidence on social media, and it sunk in for me that he actually did it (and) was with a literal child.”

The netizens responded to Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s murder with visceral reactions toward Burke. The question remains, however, what makes Hernandez different from other women in violent situations with men like Megan Thee Stallion, Amber Heard, and other cases where the accusations did not receive the same attention.

Hernandez fits into the latter of what is known as the perfect victim. The concept was coined by Nils Christie in 1986 and named the “ideal victim.” In his words, this theory further explores how those who are harmed in violent acts are perceived by the public. In certain cases, the party could be viewed as more deserving of empathy and support and possess qualities that make them a “better” candidate as a victim.

These qualities include but are not limited to the person being viewed as weaker than the perpetrator and unable to protect themselves, was engaged in a morally sound “respectable” activity when they were attacked, was in a place where they have an absolute right to be and cannot be accountable for putting themselves in danger, and unknown to the perpetrator. This proves the innocence of the victim through and through. 

In Hernandez’s case, her age and status in her relationship with Burke placed her more favorably in the public eye. 

Nia Williams agrees with the sentiment and adds other factors she believes that contributed to the public outrage.

“I think it was because she was a kid, was white adjacent, that it was a Black man, and how he did it [the murder.] I think all of those facts culminated in rightful outrage,” Williams said. 

In reality, this standard is unachievable for victims of abuse to fit snugly within this narrative, especially when the perceptions of the victim’s behavior before, during, and after the crime are well-known to communities online. 

Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s case has been greeted with welcoming arms as many mourn what could have been for a girl living her life to the fullest at a pivotal transition into high school and beyond, a life that Burke took away without second thought. Victimhood should not be contemplated or awarded after a drastic scenario unfolds, and Hernandez’s case proves how cases dealing with abuse should be taken seriously.

Before Hernandez, there was Megan Pete, famously known as Megan Thee Stallion. The Houston-born rapper was not awarded this title of the perfect victim because of how the public viewed her. From the start of her career, Megan Thee Stallion does not fit into the mold of “morally respectable” within the bounds of the concept as she has established herself as a sexually-liberated powerhouse in the rap industry.

Williams touches on this point specifically as she mentions the difference between both victims.

“It was the fact that she (Pete) was a Black woman, a rapper, and very open and proud of her sexuality. She’s not seen as a martyr figure,” Williams said.

After the assault with Daystar Peterson (Tory Lanez) that left her shot in the foot following a July 2020 dispute, Pete faced a vicious smear campaign from her peers in the industry that called for Peterson’s release and doubts circulating on social media. Critics focused on details that could’ve caused the incident including how the pair had been drinking that evening or how she’d hidden the gun Peterson used to protect the group she was out with the night of the assault. Even with Peterson behind bars, Pete to this very day is discredited for her testimony about what Peterson did to her and still faces backlash from his fans, her industry peers, and more.

Thinking back to Pete’s situation, Jesus Murillo believes that the assault with Pete is an evident example of the issues with how the public reacts to cases like these.

“It’s crazy that thousands, maybe even millions, of people saw what happened to Megan and instead of believing her, restored to trying to find evidence to prove Tory Lanez’s innocence,” Murillo said. “That event follows her to this day. What she went through and continues to go through is an extreme apparent example of anti-blackness and misogyny are deeply ingrained in the world.”

Abuse has not only happened within high-end, celebrity victims and perpetrators, but it extends into everyday living among women and men alike. Whether the person is like Hernandez or Pete, there are risks women and men can be subjected to when these cases are not taken seriously.

Connections for Abused Women and their Children explains how domestic violence can happen to any person in any place and time and encompasses every gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. There are groups, however, that experience partner violence more than others who fit into the same categories that Hernandez and Pete do.

The National Domestic Hotline alone has reported that more than 10 million people have experienced or will experience domestic violence in a given year and that 29% of women and 10% of men experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by partner. 

People of color experience partner violence at higher rates than their white counterparts. Black individuals are the leading demographic who experience domestic violence followed by Hispanic individuals then Native American individuals.

Domestic Shelters also point out that age is another factor for domestic violence cases as late teens and early 20-somethings also have the highest incidents with domestic violence. On this spectrum, 38.6% of women and 47.1% of men have experienced partner violence in that age range. In cases like these, victims may stay in the relationship due to fear, normalized abuse, shame, intimidation, low self-esteem, lack of resources, and a variety of other factors that keep them confined to the relationship.

Though this may not have been the reality for Hernandez or Pete, it’s important when hearing news about higher-profile cases like Hernandez and Pete or those we know in our personal lives, victims of partner violence should be treated with the utmost care and should not have to fit into the mold of a “perfect victim.”