D4vd Texts Show Teen Pregnancy in Murder Case

Texts in the D4vd case have added a disturbing new layer to the Los Angeles proceedings, with prosecutors telling the court that Celeste Rivas Hernandez was pregnant and had an abortion before her death. The messages were presented during a pre-trial hearing meant to help a judge decide whether singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, should stand trial for the teenager’s killing.

According to prosecutors, one message from June 2024 showed Celeste asking, “What [if] the first abortion didn’t work?” At that point, she was 13 and Burke was 19. Prosecutors say Burke apologized to her in a separate exchange from January 2024 for “putting her through this,” while Celeste replied that neither of them was capable of caring for a baby and that ending the pregnancy was “for the best.” Burke then asked if the child would be his, and Celeste answered that it was, according to testimony from a detective.

The court also heard that Burke later wrote, “Let’s let this abortion be the last one til we have the real one…” Prosecutors said iCloud data recovered from Burke’s iPhone contained texts between him and Celeste going back to August 8, 2022, when she was 11 and he was 17. They also said the phone held photos of the teenager during the alleged abuse, and that the victim’s mother, Mercedes Rivas Hernandez, became visibly upset and left the courtroom with her husband as the images were described.

The hearing has offered a broader look at the relationship prosecutors say began online and continued for years. They allege Burke met Celeste when she was 11 and that sexual abuse began when she was 13. Prosecutors also say the pair discussed moving in together and called the plan “Operation Awesome.” A memo filed earlier this year said the two “broke up” in November 2024 but kept in touch after that.