đ¨ COURTROOM TEXTS ARE REVEALING A HIDDEN CHAPTER OF THEIR RELATIONSHIPâONE THAT JURORS HAD NEVER HEARD BEFORE, INCLUDING AN ABORTION
đ¨ COURTROOM TEXTS ARE REVEALING A HIDDEN CHAPTER OF THEIR RELATIONSHIPâONE THAT JURORS HAD NEVER HEARD BEFORE, INCLUDING AN ABORTION
Newly presented messages show Celeste Rivas Hernandez became pregnant more than a year before her death and later underwent an abortion. The conversation, now entered into evidence, includes David Burke apologizing and asking whether the pregnancy was his before Hernandez responded that it was.
The newly revealed texts are adding another deeply personal layer to the case as the trial continues.
The latest courtroom developments are in the comments. đ

**Courtroom Texts Reveal Prior Pregnancy and Abortion in D4vd Case Involving Celeste Rivas Hernandez**
In a Los Angeles Superior Court preliminary hearing on Friday, July 24, 2026, prosecutors introduced text messages exchanged between singer David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, and Celeste Rivas Hernandez that discussed a pregnancy and subsequent abortion when she was 13 years old. The messages, recovered from Burkeâs iCloud account and iPhone, were presented through the testimony of Los Angeles Police Department Robbery-Homicide Detective Corey Farell as part of evidence intended to establish the nature and duration of their relationship.
According to testimony and contemporaneous reporting of the hearing, one exchange from early January 2024âaround January 8âbegan with Burke apologizing. He wrote that he was sorry for âputting her through thisâ or similar wording such as âim sorry again baby I didnât want to ever put you through this.â Rivas Hernandez replied along the lines of âItâs okayâ or âno itâs ok,â stating that âneither of us are capable of watching and taking care of the babyâ or âBoth of us arenât able to take care of it,â and asking whether it was âfor the best.â Burke later apologized again and asked whether the pregnancy was his, referencing advice from his mother: variations reported include âalso my mother always told me to ask this question if I was ever in this situation ⌠it is mine right?â or âMy mom said I have to ask this question⌠is it mine?â She responded, âOf course itâs yours Davidâ or âof course its yours David.â Additional messages in the exchange referenced the timing of a procedure, with Burke asking when she would âget it doneâ and her indicating âtwo days.â Detective Farell testified that investigators confirmed an abortion occurred in early January 2024.
These texts form one element of a broader set of communications introduced in court. Prosecutors stated that the pair first communicated on August 8, 2022, when Rivas Hernandez was 11 and Burke was 17. They alleged the sexual relationship began in November 2023, when she was 13 and he was 18. Messages from late 2023 onward frequently addressed contraception, Plan B emergency contraceptive, menstrual cycle tracking, pregnancy fears, and abortion. One later message from Burke in June 2024 reportedly stated, âLetâs let this abortion be the last one til we have the real oneâŚâ Rivas Hernandez expressed concerns in June 2024 about whether âthe first abortion didnât work.â In August 2024 messages, she wrote of regret, including statements such as âI killed my kid for you,â âi killed my first kid for you,â and references to taking âan innocent life of a literal baby,â adding that she would âdo anything to have it back.â Other exchanges discussed plans for the future, including living together under a name like âOperation Awesome,â marriage, and children, alongside periods of tension and multiple breakups.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez was born on September 7, 2010, and lived in the Lake Elsinore area of Riverside County, California. She was reported missing on multiple occasions, including in early 2024 when she was 13. Authorities had contact with Burke in connection with welfare checks or missing-person inquiries, during which he reportedly stated he believed she was older. She turned 14 in September 2024. Prosecutors allege that on April 23, 2025, after she threatened to expose their relationship and potentially damage his music career, Burke arranged for her to come to his rented Hollywood Hills home via ride-share. They further allege he stabbed her multiple times, causing death by penetrating injuries to the torso (including wounds affecting the liver and chest area), then dismembered the body using tools including chainsaws purchased afterward, and placed the remains in bags inside the front trunk (frunk) of a Tesla registered to him. The vehicle was later abandoned, ticketed, and towed; the severely decomposed remains were discovered on September 8, 2025âone day after what would have been her 15th birthdayâafter a tow-yard worker reported a strong odor. Autopsy findings classified the manner of death as homicide due to multiple penetrating injuries consistent with sharp-force trauma. Air fresheners were found in the vehicle.
Burke, then 21, was arrested in April 2026 and charged with first-degree murder (with special circumstance allegations including murder of a witness, financial gain, and lying in wait), continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. He has pleaded not guilty. His defense has maintained that the evidence will show he did not cause her death. The preliminary hearing, which began around July 21, 2026, and continued over several days, is intended to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to hold him over for trial. Testimony has also covered explicit photographs recovered from his devices, blood evidence, tool purchases (including chainsaws, a shovel, an inflatable pool, and bags), location data, and other digital records. Family members of Rivas Hernandez were present at times during the hearing; her mother was reported to have become emotional during graphic testimony and descriptions of images, leading to moments when family members stepped out.
The January 2024 pregnancy and abortion texts add a specific layer to the prosecutionâs portrayal of the relationship as involving ongoing sexual activity with a minor, discussions of reproductive consequences, expressions of affection mixed with control or secrecy, and later regret and conflict. Prosecutors have argued that the volume and content of the messagesâspanning years and covering intimate details, travel, living arrangements, and secrecy until marriageâdemonstrate the continuity and nature of the contact. Defense cross-examination has focused on investigative gaps, the condition of evidence, and alternative interpretations. The texts themselves were presented as recovered digital evidence rather than as independent proof of the charged homicide; their relevance, according to the prosecution, lies in establishing the history that allegedly motivated the killing when exposure was threatened.
Reporting from multiple outlets covering the hearing, including accounts based on courtroom testimony and contemporaneous notes, consistently describes the core January 2024 exchange in terms matching the details above: the apology for the situation, the mutual acknowledgment that neither was in a position to raise a child, the question about paternity framed as maternal advice, and the affirmative response. Variations in exact wording across reports reflect the informal, abbreviated style of text messaging and the process of reading them into the record, but the substanceâdiscussion of an abortion following a pregnancy attributed to Burke when Rivas Hernandez was 13âhas been uniformly reported. Later messages of regret and references to possible subsequent concerns further contextualize the emotional aftermath within the recovered communications.
The broader evidentiary picture presented so far includes the timeline of first contact in 2022, the alleged start of sexual activity in late 2023, repeated discussions of contraception and pregnancy risk, the confirmed January 2024 abortion, subsequent expressions of remorse by Rivas Hernandez, plans and arguments through 2024 and into 2025, her reported efforts to distance herself in March 2025, and the events of April 23, 2025. Physical evidence from the Tesla and the Hollywood Hills residence, medical examiner findings, purchase records for tools and containment items shortly after the alleged date of death, and digital forensics form additional pillars of the prosecution case. The defense has challenged aspects of the investigationâs thoroughness and the interpretation of the evidence.
As the preliminary hearing progressed, the introduction of these personal messages shifted public and courtroom attention toward the hidden history of the relationship that jurors in a potential future trial would confront. The texts do not stand alone; they sit within a larger body of digital, forensic, and testimonial material. Burke remains presumed innocent. The judgeâs determination on whether the case proceeds to trial will rest on whether the cumulative evidence, including these communications, establishes probable cause for the charged offenses. The hearing has provided the most detailed public accounting to date of the communications between Burke and Rivas Hernandez, including the previously undisclosed discussion of a pregnancy and abortion more than a year before her death.
The case continues to develop through the judicial process. Family members have sought accountability and answers. Music industry observers have noted the rapid rise of D4vdâs career in the years leading up to the charges, including successful releases and touring, against the backdrop of the allegations. Court proceedings remain the primary source of verified information, with testimony subject to cross-examination and further legal scrutiny. The January 2024 texts, as entered into evidence, document a specific, intimate exchange about an unwanted pregnancy and its resolution at a time when Rivas Hernandez was a young teenager and Burke an adult. Their presentation has added a concrete, personal dimension to the narrative of the relationship that prosecutors say underpinned the events culminating in April 2025.
Further hearings and any subsequent trial will test the weight and interpretation of all the evidence, including these messages. For now, the record of the preliminary hearing establishes that the texts exist in recovered form, were discussed in open court under oath by the investigating detective, and form part of the case the prosecution is advancing. The detailsâapology, shared assessment of inability to parent, paternity confirmation, and later regretâstand as reported from the courtroom proceedings of July 24, 2026.