{"id":17742,"date":"2026-07-26T11:41:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T06:41:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=17742"},"modified":"2026-07-26T11:41:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T06:41:03","slug":"detective-says-d4vds-phone-had-photos-of-teen-talk-of-abortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=17742","title":{"rendered":"Detective says D4vd&#8217;s phone had photos of teen, talk of abortion"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-element=\"story-body\" data-subscriber-content=\"\">\n<p>Dozens of photographs and text messages taken from D4vd\u2019s cellphone show the singer impregnated a teenage girl and convinced her to have an abortion when she was just 13 \u2014 a year before he allegedly killed her and dismembered her body, according to evidence made public in court Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>Los Angeles Police Det. Corey Farell laid out the alleged sexually abusive relationship between the singer, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, and Celeste Rivas Hernandez in graphic detail, during what is likely the final segment of Burke\u2019s preliminary hearing on murder and sex abuse charges. Burke has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing through his attorneys.<\/p>\n<p>Farell and Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Silverman displayed hundreds of pictures and texts that show Burke and Hernandez discussing sexual interactions, fears of a pregnancy and ultimately, an abortion that supposedly took place in January 2024. <\/p>\n<p>The messages on the phone spanned from November 2023 to March 2025, the detective said. There were nearly 50 photographs that depicted either Hernandez naked or the pair engaged in sex acts, according to Farell. Burke\u2019s cellphone lock screen was a picture of the pair, topless, locked in an embrace, the detective said.<\/p>\n<p>Other photos showed Hernandez touching hands with Burke while wearing a ring. At least one image captures a tattoo of the name \u201cDavid\u201d in red ink on Hernandez\u2019s finger. Photos displayed in court earlier this week show the singer had the name \u201cCeleste\u201d tattooed on his own finger in the same color and script style.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors have alleged that Burke fatally stabbed Hernandez inside his Hollywood home last April after she threatened to expose the sex abuse and derail the singer\u2019s ascendant music career. Burke allegedly amputated two of Hernandez\u2019s fingers after dismembering her body with a chainsaw to cover up evidence of the tattoo linking the two.<\/p>\n<p>According to text messages displayed in court, the two also discussed a plan to move in together in February 2024, which Hernandez dubbed \u201cOperation Awesome.\u201d Hernandez was reported missing to Riverside County authorities by her parents that same month. <\/p>\n<p>Los Angeles County sheriff\u2019s deputies visited Burke\u2019s home to question him about Hernandez around the same time, but she wasn\u2019t there. When questioned by a deputy, Burke claimed he\u2019d only met Hernandez once in person and didn\u2019t know she was under 18, according to body camera footage displayed in court earlier in the week. The text messages contradict those statements.<\/p>\n<p>Hernandez returned to her Lake Elsinore home two days later, but Burke allegedly paid a teenager to get her a new phone so they could stay in touch, according to a court filing by Silverman earlier this year. <\/p>\n<p>In January 2024, Burke and Hernandez had an exchange about the 13-year-old possibly being pregnant with his child, according to the messages shown in court.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cwen u gonna get it done,\u201d Burke asked, referencing an abortion appointment, according to Farrell.<\/p>\n<p>\u201ctwo days,\u201d Hernandez wrote back, according to the texts shown in court.<\/p>\n<p>\u201calso my mother always told me to ask this question if I was ever in this situation \u2026 it is mine right?\u201d Burke asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cof course its yours David,\u201d Hernandez replied, according to the detective\u2019s testimony.<\/p>\n<p>Months later, Hernandez expressed regret over the abortion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI care abt u i killed my kid [for] you,\u201d she wrote to Burke in August 2024. \u201ci don\u2019t like talking about it cause it gets [me really] upset but id do anything to have it back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Later, she lamented that she \u201ctook an innocent life of a literal baby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When the two discussed a plan for Hernandez to move into Burke\u2019s Los Angeles residence around Valentine\u2019s Day 2024, Burke referred to the date as \u201cthe most important day of your life next to da wedding day,\u201d according to the texts displayed in court. <\/p>\n<p>In another message, Burke expressed a desire to flee the country with Hernandez to get married in Italy, lamenting that they couldn\u2019t be together in the U.S. without being harangued by police or missing person fliers. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just want no posters and u to be able to get on planes,\u201d Burke wrote. <\/p>\n<p>Another string of texts showed the two planned to travel to Las Vegas together in August 2024, where they discussed having sex inside the Trump Hotel. <\/p>\n<p>Before delving into the text messages and pictures \u2014 which were not displayed to the court because prosecutors said many of them constituted child sex material \u2014 a visibly emotional Silverman turned to Hernandez\u2019s parents and pleaded with them to leave the courtroom, warning them \u201cit\u2019s too much.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Eventually, they stood up and exited. Hernandez\u2019s mother could be heard softly crying as she exited into the hallway.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors say Hernandez was last seen alive at the 21-year-old\u2019s Doheny Place residence after she threatened to reveal their relationship.<\/p>\n<p>The singer has has rarely spoken or betrayed reactions to testimony. It is not clear whether his attorneys will call any witnesses before the proceeding ends. Farell is expected to be the final prosecution witness, meaning the proceeding should wrap up Monday.<\/p>\n<p>Silverman began this week\u2019s preliminary hearing by showing grisly photos of Hernandez\u2019s decomposing corpse, which was found in September 2025 in a Hollywood tow yard. <\/p>\n<p>Burke met Hernandez online when she was about 11 years old, court records have shown. Burke \u2014 a rising alternative music star who was on tour supporting his debut album and hit song \u201cRomantic Homicide\u201d when Hernandez\u2019s body was found \u2014 began abusing the girl in 2023, prosecutors charge. <\/p>\n<p>The pair \u201cbroke up\u201d in November of 2024, according to court records, but stayed in contact. Texts displayed Friday from that month showed Hernandez growing frustrated. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI literally had sex with you for almost a year straight,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cur treating this like its the first break up \u2026 this is the 8th time,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n<p>A month later, Burke seemed to suggest Hernandez, who was 13, was the one in control of their relationship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cu asked me if I wanted to have sex man and I folded,\u201d he said after they argued about a physical interaction following their breakup in December 2024. Burke went on to allege that Hernandez initiated their first kiss and asked him to be her boyfriend.<\/p>\n<p>Burke and Hernandez got into an argument the night before prosecutors say she was killed, with the teen expressing frustration and jealousy over Burke\u2019s relationships with other women. <\/p>\n<p>If convicted as charged, Burke would face life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Prosecutors have not indicated whether they intend to pursue capital punishment. Friday marked the fourth day of the preliminary hearing, in which Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo will decide whether prosecutors have enough evidence to take Burke to trial. <\/p>\n<p>After killing Hernandez, prosecutors allege, Burke purchased shovels, three chainsaws and an inflatable pool, a cadaver bag and a burn cage all under aliases as part of an effort to destroy her remains. Burke used one of the chainsaws to cut apart Hernandez\u2019s body, which he placed inside the pool hoping it would capture most of her blood, prosecutors have alleged.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this week, prosecutors alleged Burke bought some of the packages under the alias \u201cTrayvion Davis.\u201d In the texts displayed Friday, Burke said he sometimes used that name when placing orders for delivery at his Hollywood address.<\/p>\n<div class=\"enhancement\" data-click=\"enhancement\" data-align-center=\"\">\n<figure class=\"figure m-0\"> <picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/60ef0ea\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6000x4000+0+0\/resize\/320x213!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd5%2Fca%2F11c827e04a9b85e06db5e1dac09e%2F1551431-me-d4vd-presser06-rg.jpg 320w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/6e4a3c7\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6000x4000+0+0\/resize\/568x379!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd5%2Fca%2F11c827e04a9b85e06db5e1dac09e%2F1551431-me-d4vd-presser06-rg.jpg 568w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/b1efcea\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6000x4000+0+0\/resize\/768x512!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd5%2Fca%2F11c827e04a9b85e06db5e1dac09e%2F1551431-me-d4vd-presser06-rg.jpg 768w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/17c4471\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6000x4000+0+0\/resize\/1024x683!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd5%2Fca%2F11c827e04a9b85e06db5e1dac09e%2F1551431-me-d4vd-presser06-rg.jpg 1024w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/0eca5c2\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6000x4000+0+0\/resize\/1200x800!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd5%2Fca%2F11c827e04a9b85e06db5e1dac09e%2F1551431-me-d4vd-presser06-rg.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><img class=\"image\" alt=\"L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan J. Hochman \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/6056cd8\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6000x4000+0+0\/resize\/320x213!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd5%2Fca%2F11c827e04a9b85e06db5e1dac09e%2F1551431-me-d4vd-presser06-rg.jpg 320w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/075a9a5\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6000x4000+0+0\/resize\/568x379!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd5%2Fca%2F11c827e04a9b85e06db5e1dac09e%2F1551431-me-d4vd-presser06-rg.jpg 568w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/212acd6\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6000x4000+0+0\/resize\/768x512!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd5%2Fca%2F11c827e04a9b85e06db5e1dac09e%2F1551431-me-d4vd-presser06-rg.jpg 768w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/79df860\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6000x4000+0+0\/resize\/1024x683!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd5%2Fca%2F11c827e04a9b85e06db5e1dac09e%2F1551431-me-d4vd-presser06-rg.jpg 1024w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/82f3804\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6000x4000+0+0\/resize\/1200x800!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd5%2Fca%2F11c827e04a9b85e06db5e1dac09e%2F1551431-me-d4vd-presser06-rg.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/82f3804\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6000x4000+0+0\/resize\/1200x800!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd5%2Fca%2F11c827e04a9b85e06db5e1dac09e%2F1551431-me-d4vd-presser06-rg.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>   <\/picture>\n<div class=\"figure-content\">\n<p>L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan J. Hochman flanked by a photo of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.<\/p>\n<p>(Robert Gauthier\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<p>An LAPD DNA expert, Samantha Tosch, testified Thursday that evidence recovered from apparent blood stains in the garage of D4vd\u2019s Hollywood Hills home had a strong DNA match to Hernandez. A separate LAPD expert testified she took the samples from a rubber floor mat, a rowing machine, a green tarp, cleaning items in a trash and a Tesla charger in the garage. <\/p>\n<p>On Friday morning, Burke\u2019s defense team tried to sow doubt about the conclusiveness of the autopsy conducted in the case. For more than an hour, attorney Marilyn Bednarski peppered L.A. County Deputy Medical Examiner Grant Ho with questions about whether the severely decomposed state of Hernandez\u2019s remains made it hard for him to ascertain key details, including time of death or the type of weapon that was used to kill the girl.<\/p>\n<p>Bednarski asked a number of questions suggesting the possibility that Hernandez was holding the weapon that killed her, that she injured herself or that the killing happened in the course of a struggle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t rule that out that she would have been holding the instrument that caused either of those wounds?\u201d the attorney asked.<\/p>\n<p>While Ho said he could not, he also noted the autopsy did not uncover \u201chesitation marks,\u201d referring to lesser injuries caused in the process of committing self-harm. <\/p>\n<p>Police did not recover a murder weapon in Hernandez\u2019s death, nor have they presented exact evidence about the moment she was killed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dozens of photographs and text messages taken from D4vd\u2019s cellphone show the singer impregnated a teenage girl and convinced her to have an abortion when she was just 13 \u2014 a year before he allegedly killed her and dismembered her body, according to evidence made public in court Friday afternoon. Los Angeles Police Det. Corey&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/14e9cc5\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/4672x2453+0+454\/resize\/1200x630!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffc%2F09%2F1e17e70547c1848d1b0e45aad175%2Fap25070220118928a.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17742\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}