Singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, exchanged text messages with 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez indicating she had been pregnant and had undergone an abortion before her death, according to evidence presented in a Los Angeles court.
According to the BBC, the messages were presented during a preliminary hearing to determine whether the 20-year-old musician should stand trial for Hernandez's murder.
Prosecutors allege Burke killed the teenager after she threatened to expose claims of underage sexual abuse that could have destroyed his music career.
Burke has pleaded not guilty to charges including murder and continuous sexual abuse of a minor.
Court transcripts introduced by investigators showed conversations dating back to August 2022, when Hernandez was 11 and Burke was 17.
In messages from mid-2024, the pair discussed a pregnancy, with Hernandez asking whether a previous abortion procedure had been successful and reassuring Burke that he was the father.
A detective also testified that Burke's phone contained explicit images of the victim, prompting Hernandez's parents to leave the courtroom in distress.
Hernandez was reported missing after she was last seen at Burke's home in April 2025. Her remains were found five months later, in September 2025, inside the front trunk of Burke's Tesla while he was on tour.
Medical examiners told the court that advanced decomposition made it difficult to determine the exact time of death, a point highlighted by the defense.
However, forensic experts testified that blood recovered from Burke's home matched Hernandez's DNA.
Burke, who rose to fame on TikTok with the hit songs Romantic Homicide and Here With Me, was arrested in April 2026 after being indicted on multiple charges by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. The preliminary hearing is set to continue.