WARNING: Readers may find details in this article distressing.
Texts between singer D4vd and Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old he is accused of murdering, reveal she had been pregnant and had had an abortion before her death. The messages were shown during a hearing for a judge to determine if the singer, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, should go on trial for the teen's death last year.
“What [if] the first abortion didn't work?” Celeste texted Burke in June 2024, according to prosecutors. She was 13 years old at the time and he was 19.
Prosecutors say Burke killed her after she threatened to reveal he had been abusing a minor and destroy his career. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering and sexually abusing the girl.
In an exchange from January 2024, Burke apologised to the teen for “putting her through this”, according to messages shown in the Los Angeles court on Friday.
“neither of us are capable of watching and taking care of the baby. it's for the best no?”
Burke asked,
“also my mother always told me to ask this question if I was ever in this situation … it is mine right?”
Celeste replied
“of course its yours David”, according to testimony from a detective.
The court heard that in another text to Celeste, sent in June 2024, Burke wrote:
“Let's let this abortion be the last one til we have the real one…”
Prosecutors presented iCloud data recovered from the defendant's iPhone, showing texts between him and Celeste dating back to 8 August 2022, when she was 11 years old and Burke was 17.
The phone belonging to Burke also had explicit photos of the teenager during the alleged sexual abuse, prosecutors and Los Angeles Police Detective Corey Farell said on Friday.
The victim's mother, Mercedes Rivas Hernandez, became visibly emotional and left the court with her husband as details of some of the pictures were read aloud during the proceedings.
D4vd, who rose to fame on TikTok with the viral hits Romantic Homicide and Here With Me, was on tour when police found Celeste's body in the front truck of his Tesla in September 2025 - the day after she would have turned 15.
His worldwide tour was cancelled and he largely retreated from public life and social media.
Police announced his arrest in April this year.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman filed seven criminal charges against him, including murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child and the mutilation of remains.
They said the teen was reported missing by her family and was last seen at Burke's Hollywood Hills home on 3 April 2025 - five months before her remains were discovered in the Tesla.
Prosecutors have said he met Celeste online when she was 11, and allege he started sexually abusing her when she was 13 and he was 18.
Watch: Preliminary hearing begins in singer D4vd's murder case
What did the court hear about the messages?
The court heard that the messages recovered from iCloud data on Burke's iPhone included exchanges about pregnancy, abortion and the paternity of the baby. Prosecutors said the texts dated back to 8 August 2022, when Celeste was 11 and Burke was 17, and continued into 2024.
During the Los Angeles hearing on Friday, prosecutors presented messages in which Celeste asked, “What [if] the first abortion didn't work?” They also showed an exchange from January 2024 in which Burke apologised for “putting her through this”.
In that exchange, Celeste wrote,
“neither of us are capable of watching and taking care of the baby. it's for the best no?”
Burke then asked,
“also my mother always told me to ask this question if I was ever in this situation … it is mine right?”
According to testimony from a detective, Celeste replied,
“of course its yours David”.
Another text shown in court, sent by Burke in June 2024, said,
“Let's let this abortion be the last one til we have the real one…”
Prosecutors said the messages were part of evidence they believe supports their case that Burke sexually abused the teenager and later killed her after she threatened to expose him.
What evidence did prosecutors present?
Prosecutors presented iCloud data recovered from the defendant's iPhone, including texts between Burke and Celeste dating back to 8 August 2022. They also said the phone contained explicit photos of the teenager during the alleged sexual abuse.
Los Angeles Police Detective Corey Farell and prosecutors described those images in court on Friday. The victim's mother, Mercedes Rivas Hernandez, became visibly emotional and left the court with her husband as details of some of the pictures were read aloud.
Authorities say the evidence includes communications and images that span the period from when Celeste was 11 years old and Burke was 17 through the months before her death.
What are the charges against D4vd?
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman filed seven criminal charges against Burke, including murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child and the mutilation of remains. Burke has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors say he met Celeste online when she was 11 and allege he began sexually abusing her when she was 13 and he was 18. They also say he killed her after she threatened to reveal that he had been abusing a minor and destroy his career.
The singer, known professionally as D4vd and who rose to fame on TikTok with the viral hits Romantic Homicide and Here With Me, was on tour when police found Celeste's body in the front truck of his Tesla in September 2025, the day after she would have turned 15.
His worldwide tour was cancelled and he largely retreated from public life and social media after the discovery. Police announced his arrest in April this year.
Investigators said the teen was reported missing by her family and was last seen at Burke's Hollywood Hills home on 3 April 2025, five months before her remains were found in the Tesla.
The case remains at the preliminary hearing stage, where a judge is determining whether Burke should go on trial for the teen's death last year.
Watch: Preliminary hearing begins in singer D4vd's murder case
Key Facts
- Celeste Rivas Hernandez was 14 when police found her body in the front truck of D4vd's Tesla in September 2025.
- Prosecutors say texts show pregnancy and abortion discussions between Celeste and David Anthony Burke.
- Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman filed seven criminal charges, including murder and continuous sexual abuse of a child.
- Burke has pleaded not guilty.
- Police announced his arrest in April this year.
