LOS ANGELES — Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the teen whom singer D4vd is accused of killing , had an abortion during their relationship, according to text messages prosecutors shared in court Friday. Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, has been charged with killing and dismembering the 14-year-old.
He has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. The singer has been in court this week for a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence to put him on trial. The teen’s remains were found in September in the trunk of a Tesla that belongs to the singer, and D4vd was arrested in April.
In court Friday, prosecutors displayed what they described as photos and texts between the two that were allegedly recovered from his phone during a search of his home. They included explicit sexual images of the pair, images inside a Tesla, photos of what appeared to be an engagement ring and tattoos allegedly associated with their relationship, according to the exhibits. D4vd was seated in shackles and displayed no emotion as the photos were shown.
LAPD Detective Corey Farrell testified that the phone contained a large volume of explicit images of D4vd and Celeste engaging in sexual activity. Alleged text messages between the pair traced back to August 2022 — when Celeste was 11 — through April 23, 2025. Those texts discussed past and future liaisons, sexual positions and meeting points, Farrell testified.
The texts also discussed abortion and emergency contraception “many times,” Farrell said. He said the texts indicate the pair had a sexual relationship from November 2023 to March 2025, when Celeste was 13 and D4vd was 18 or 19. Prosecutors shared one text exchange from November 2023 in which a 13-year-old Celeste said she was waiting for her period and stated, “If im pregnant tho im not having it though.” In a Dec.
20 exchange shared with the court, she texted him, “do I take the plan b?” Prosecutors shared another exchange dated Jan. 8, 2024, in which D4vd texted her, “im sorry again baby I didn’t want to ever put you through this.” She replied, “no it’s ok we both aren’t able to take care of it,” according to the text exhibits. She later said, “it’s okay tho neither one of us are capable of watch or taking care of a baby.” He later texted: “When re you gonna get it done?” And she said “2 days.” In a text on June 10, 2024, Celeste asked, “What if the first abortion didn’t work,” according to the exhibit.
A text from D4vd the following day said: “lets have this be the last abortion until we have kids.” On July 9, 2024, D4vd texted Celeste: “I’m thinking about your abortion gift.” In another text on Sept. 22, 2024, she asked: “am I gonna get preg.” Prosecutors also showed photographs showing the pair holding a package of Plan B in June 2024. Prosecutors shared other exchanges in which the two appeared to discuss marriage and plans for a future together.
In another series of texts, they discussed whether anyone knew about their relationship, according to the exhibits. In court Friday, prosecutors introduced messages from late 2024 and early 2025 that suggested increasing strain in the relationship. In an August 2024 exchange after an apparent argument, Celeste expressed regret and grief regarding an abortion.
Later messages referenced multiple breakups and reconciliation. By March 2025, shortly before the last communications recovered from the phone, Celeste told D4vd she no longer wanted an in-person relationship and felt their interactions revolved around sex rather than a relationship. “The way we are going, its not happening.
Maybe if things were different. All we do is have sex and just hang out man,” she wrote. Earlier during Friday’s hearing, the court heard testimony from Los Angeles Medical Examiner Dr.
Grant Ho, who performed Celeste’s autopsy. Ho testified her cause of death was multiple penetrating injuries and the manner was homicide. He said the exact time of death couldn’t be determined due to the advanced state of decomposition, but she had “likely been deceased for at least weeks” and it’s possible she could have been dead since April 25.
Previous court filings state that D4vd sent a car to pick up Celeste the night of April 23, 2025, from her hometown, Lake Elsinore, California, 80 miles outside Los Angeles. After she arrived at his Hollywood home, her phone died. Ho described postmortem dismemberment including severed arms, legs and amputated ring and pinky fingers from her left hand.
He said it was consistent with use of power tool, potentially a chain saw. Ho also said Celeste bore two significant penetrating injuries — one wound to her abdomen, which passed through the diaphragm and injured the liver, and the other penetrated the left side of her chest, damaging ribs and entering the chest cavity. He said either of those injuries could have been fatal.
He said those wounds were most likely sustained before her death due to their life-threatening nature. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman has accused D4vd of killing the girl to maintain his lucrative music career, which he said she threatened. Attorneys for the entertainer have said they will “vigorously defend David’s innocence.” Proceedings will resume Monday.
There is no jury. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo will determine whether the prosecution offered enough evidence to demonstrate probable cause to proceed to trial. Madeline Morrison is an associate producer for NBC News.
Marlene Lenthang is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
