A preliminary hearing revealed that singer D4vd, 21, allegedly impregnated and pressured 13-year-old AP News to have an abortion before murdering her in 2025, with text messages and photos from his phone detailing their sexual relationship and planning for a future together.
Text messages and photos from D4vd’s phone, displayed during a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles, show the singer allegedly impregnated 13-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, pressured her to have an abortion, and later killed her in 2025. The 14-year-old’s body was found in a Tesla registered to the musician, with prosecutors alleging he dismembered her to hide evidence of their relationship.
Texts Reveal Abortion and Tension
Prosecutors presented text messages between D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, and Rivas Hernandez that reveal she had an abortion in January 2024, when she was 13. In one exchange, Burke apologized for putting her through this,
to which she replied, neither of us are capable of watching and taking care of the baby. it’s for the best no?
Burke later asked, also my mother always told me to ask this question if I was ever in this situation … it is mine right?
Rivas Hernandez replied, of course its yours David.
Rivas Hernandez expressed regret over the abortion, writing, I care abt u i killed my kid [for] you,
and I don’t like talking about it cause it gets [me really] upset but id do anything to have it back.
In one message, Rivas Hernandez asked, What [if] the first abortion didn’t work?
Burke responded, Let’s let this abortion be the last one til we have the real one.
Photos and Testimonies Expose Abuse
Los Angeles Police Detective Corey Farell testified that Burke’s phone contained hundreds of explicit photos of Rivas Hernandez, including images of her with a tattoo of his name in red ink on her finger. Farell described the relationship as abusive, with Rivas Hernandez, then 13, and Burke, 18, engaging in sexual activity from November 2023 to March 2025. The detective noted that photos showed the couple kissing and lying in bed, with one image capturing Rivas Hernandez wearing a ring and Burke’s phone lock screen featuring the pair topless.
Rivas Hernandez’s parents left the courtroom in tears as testimony unfolded. Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman comforted the mother, Mercedes Martinez, before the couple exited. The couple’s relationship, prosecutors argued, was not consensual, with Burke allegedly using manipulation and threats to control her.
Autopsy Details and Legal Proceedings
Medical Examiner Dr. Grant Ho testified that Rivas Hernandez died from two sharp force wounds to her upper body, with her body found in a Tesla towed from the Hollywood Hills in September 2025. Ho could not determine the exact time of death due to decomposition but said she had been dead for at least weeks,
possibly months. Authorities believe she was killed in April 2025, with her phone dying after arriving at Burke’s home.
Prosecutors also introduced evidence of DNA matches between blood stains in Burke’s garage and Rivas Hernandez. The preliminary hearing will determine if there is enough evidence to proceed with a trial.
The judge will decide by the end of the hearing whether there is sufficient evidence to charge Burke with murder, sexual abuse of a child, and mutilation of a body. Rivas Hernandez’s family has not publicly commented on the proceedings, but prosecutors argue the evidence paints a clear picture of abuse and premeditated violence.
The case underscores the challenges of prosecuting crimes involving minors and digital evidence, with text messages and photos playing a central role.
