Prosecutors have addressed one of the lingering questions in the killing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, saying she was not pregnant when she died.
That update was confirmed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, according to People, as the criminal case against 21-year-old musician David Anthony Burke, who performs as D4vd, moves closer to trial. Burke has denied all allegations and has pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains.
The issue drew attention earlier this year after Hernandez’s death certificate was amended in April. A field asking whether she had been pregnant in the prior year was changed from
‘no’
to
‘unknown’
which sparked fresh questions ahead of Burke’s upcoming trial.
The clarification came after several days of evidence were presented during Burke’s preliminary hearing. Prosecutors told the court they have recovered material they say documents an alleged sexual relationship between Burke and Hernandez dating back to 2023.
Investigators testified that text messages found on Burke’s phone appeared to show Hernandez discussing a pregnancy in late 2023 and an abortion in January 2024, when she was 13.
Detective Corey Farell of the Los Angeles Police Department told the court that one exchange allegedly included Hernandez writing:
‘Both of us aren’t able to take care of it.’
Farell said Burke then allegedly questioned whether the pregnancy was his, and Hernandez responded:
‘Of course it’s yours David’
Prosecutors said those messages were part of a wider body of digital evidence taken from Burke’s devices. They also alleged that investigators found child sexual abuse material involving Hernandez, though jurors were told the content was too graphic to be shown in court.
According to the prosecution, the messages between the two stretched from late 2023 into March 2025 and reflected what they described as an increasingly controlling relationship. Prosecutors allege Burke talked about marrying the teenager and hiding the relationship, while Hernandez allegedly voiced concerns about becoming pregnant again and resentment that sex dominated their interactions.
Prosecutors allege Hernandez was killed on April 23, 2025, after threatening to reveal years of alleged abuse and harm Burke’s music career. They say her body was later dismembered in the garage of a rental home in Los Angeles with a chainsaw, and that an inflatable pool was used to help contain blood.
Her remains were later found on September 8, 2025, in the front trunk of Burke’s impounded Tesla.
At the hearing, Deputy Medical Examiner Dr Grant Ho testified that Hernandez’s death was classified as a homicide. He said she suffered two penetrating wounds: one to the abdomen that injured her liver and another to the chest that damaged her ribs. Under cross-examination, Ho said he could not say who caused the injuries, but he maintained they were consistent with homicide rather than self-inflicted wounds.
Jurors also heard that Hernandez’s DNA was allegedly found in several spots inside Burke’s garage and vehicle, including on blood-stained cleaning wipes taken from trash bags. Prosecutors further alleged Burke’s DNA was recovered from one of the bags that held wipes testing positive for Hernandez’s blood.
A separate forensic expert said fragments of blue material found with Hernandez’s remains matched damage on an inflatable pool that investigators believe was used during the alleged dismemberment.
Cellphone and vehicle data are another major part of the prosecution’s case. Prosecutors say Burke’s phone records and Tesla data show several late-night trips to a remote area of Santa Barbara County soon after the alleged killing. Investigators later recovered Hernandez’s passport card in that same area.
This week, a Los Angeles judge determined there was enough evidence for the case to move forward. Judge Charlaine Olmedo ordered Burke to stand trial on all counts and said he should remain jailed without bail. An arraignment is scheduled for August 31, and a trial date is expected to be set after that.
The criminal complaint also includes special circumstance allegations of murder of a witness, murder for financial gain and murder by means of lying in wait. Prosecutors are currently weighing whether to seek the death penalty, as Burke is eligible for capital punishment if convicted.
Burke’s attorney has continued to deny the accusations and has previously said the evidence will show he
‘was not the cause of her death.’
If convicted, Burke could face life in prison without parole or the death penalty, depending on what prosecutors decide regarding capital punishment.
David Anthony Burke’s attorney, Blair Berk has been approached for comment.
Investigators have also outlined a longer timeline of events they say connects Burke to Hernandez over several years.
Detectives claim Burke first began messaging Hernandez when she was 11 years old in 2022. The relationship became sexual in late 2023 when she was 13 and he was 18.
At one stage, police carried out a welfare check at a West Hollywood home where Burke was staying while Hernandez was missing. Officers say he showed them photos of her on his phone and told them:
“She told me she was 18, everyone is saying she’s 13.”
Hernandez was not found there, and police concluded Burke had cooperated. CNN reports that she later returned to her parents.
When Hernandez, then 13, was reported missing by her family from Lake Elsinore, California, it marked the third missing-person report involving her that year. Prosecutors say her parents never saw her alive again.
The BBC reports that prosecutors also allege Burke sent Hernandez a text reading:
“What [if] the first abortion didn’t work?”
Police say the pair later argued by text about Burke’s friendship with another woman, and that Hernandez threatened him by writing:
“I will end your career and your life.”
Investigators believe that was the day she was killed.
Prosecutors also allege Burke ordered a shovel from Home Depot and later took delivery of two chainsaws.
The case continued to unfold publicly even as Burke’s music career moved ahead. His debut album Withered was released on April 25, 2025, and opened at No. 13 on the Billboard chart after selling 30,000 units in its first week. He told The Hollywood Reporter that 80 percent of the record had been made on his phone and that he recorded vocals in his sister’s closet.
Burke then began a world tour, opening with a performance in Del Mar, California.
Later, Hernandez’s severely decomposed body was discovered in the front trunk of a Tesla linked to Burke. His representatives said at the time that he was cooperating with investigators. He still went ahead with a scheduled performance at The Fillmore Minneapolis before later canceling the remainder of the tour. The planned deluxe version of his debut album was not released, and he has since been removed from his record label Interscope’s roster.
Police also searched a rental property on Doheny Drive in Los Angeles where Burke had been living. Prosecutors later told the court that presumptive blood traces were found there.
Hernandez’s family launched a fundraiser and issued a public statement that said:
“As many of you know, Celeste Rivas Hernandez has been identified as the body found last week. She was a beloved daughter, sister, cousin, and friend. Her family is heartbroken and devastated by this tragic loss. Any funds you are able to donate are greatly appreciated.”
More than $24,000 was raised through the effort.
The Los Angeles medical examiner’s office was later served with a court order blocking the public release of further details about Hernandez’s death. Burke was then arrested, held without bail, and formally arraigned, where he entered not guilty pleas to all charges.
An autopsy later concluded that Hernandez died from multiple
‘penetrating injuries’.
According to the report, she had severe wounds to her torso, likely caused by a sharp object, and one injury pierced her liver.
Burke’s preliminary hearing then began, with prosecutors seeking to establish probable cause for the case to advance to a full trial.