Prosecutors in a Los Angeles Superior Court preliminary hearing on Friday July 24 2026 displayed text messages recovered from singer David Anthony Burke’s phone that revealed Celeste Abigail Rivas Hernandez was pregnant and underwent an abortion more than a year before her death. The 14 year old’s remains were found on September 8 2025 inside the front trunk of a Tesla Model X registered to Burke, known professionally as D4vd, at a Hollywood tow yard. Burke, now 21, faces charges of first degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. He has pleaded not guilty as the multi day hearing determines whether enough evidence exists to send the case to trial.
The messages, extracted from Burke’s iPhone and iCloud account during a search of his home following the body’s discovery, were read aloud in court by LAPD Detective Corey Farrell. They show discussions spanning late 2023 into 2024 while Rivas Hernandez was 13 and Burke was 18 or 19. In November 2023 she texted that if she were pregnant she would not keep it. On December 20 she asked about taking Plan B. In an early January 2024 exchange Burke wrote “im sorry again baby I didn’t want to ever put you through this,” and she replied that neither of them could care for a baby. He later asked when she would “get it done,” and she answered “2 days.” Subsequent June 2024 texts include her question “What if the first abortion didn’t work” and his reply suggesting it should be the last until they had children. Months afterward she expressed deep regret, writing in one message “I killed my first kid for you.” Photos of the pair holding a Plan B package were also introduced as exhibits.
Investigators learned of the texts and related material only after the September 2025 discovery of the remains triggered a full probe that led to Burke’s April 2026 arrest and the seizure of his devices. The phone data further contained nearly 50 sexually explicit images of the pair, conversations about meeting locations and sexual encounters, and references to a plan they called “Operation Awesome” to move in together. Earlier contact between them traced back to August 2022 when Rivas Hernandez was 11. Prosecutors say the relationship continued into early 2025, deteriorated amid her jealousy and threats to expose damaging details that could ruin Burke’s music career, and ended with her death around April 23 2025 after an argument the previous day. Additional evidence presented this week includes DNA matching Rivas Hernandez on items in Burke’s garage, body camera footage from a February 2024 welfare check in which he claimed she had told him she was 18, records of chainsaw and other purchases made under aliases after the alleged killing, and cell data placing him on trips toward Santa Barbara County around the time she disappeared.
Throughout the proceedings Burke has sat at the defense table in an orange jail jumpsuit and dark rimmed glasses, remaining shackled to the chair even after handcuffs were removed at his attorneys’ request. Observers and reporters noted he stayed stoic, stone faced, and nonchalant with little visible reaction as graphic crime scene photos of the decomposed and dismembered remains were shown earlier in the week and as the intimate text messages were read on Friday. He briefly smiled toward his defense team on the first day and responded quietly to the judge, but otherwise appeared emotionless while listening to the testimony. Rivas Hernandez’s parents attended portions of the hearing; her mother covered her mouth and required comfort when the most disturbing images were displayed, later stating she wanted to be present to support her daughter.
The preliminary hearing, which began July 21 2026 in a packed downtown Los Angeles courtroom under Judge Charlaine Olmedo, is expected to continue into next week. Prosecutors led by Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman are building the case that Burke killed the teen to silence her and protect his rising career after she threatened exposure. Defense attorneys maintain the evidence will ultimately show he did not cause her death. The texts and accompanying digital trail provide contemporaneous documentation of the relationship’s nature and timeline, adding significant weight to the probable cause determination now before the court. Further details on the investigation and charges appear in the public case overview, the detailed account of the Friday testimony, and the hearing takeaways summary. Additional reported exchanges are available through court coverage of the detective’s reading of the messages.
