David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, appears in court. [EPA]
David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, appears in court. [EPA]

Newly surfaced evidence shows that American singer-songwriter D4vd — whose legal name is David Anthony Burke — sexually abused his victim starting when she was 13 years old and pressured her to have an abortion, as he faces charges of murdering the minor.

US media outlets including ABC and Fox News reported Sunday that prosecutors in Los Angeles County, California, submitted recovered deleted data from D4vd's phone as new evidence at a preliminary hearing.

The materials included text messages and photos in which D4vd and the victim, Celeste Rivas Hernandez, discussed sexual activity, pregnancy and abortion.

According to the messages, the two discussed a possible pregnancy in January 2024, with D4vd asking "When are you going to (have the abortion)?" and "Is it my child?" The victim, who was only 13 at the time, later sent messages that appeared to express regret over the abortion.

Prosecutors believe that as the relationship deteriorated, D4vd feared their involvement would come to light and stabbed Hernandez to death on April 23 last year.

D4vd also faces charges of mutilating a corpse. Prosecutors say he ordered a shovel, a chainsaw, an inflatable pool and bags under a false name, and the victim's blood was found in his home garage. Her remains were discovered in a vehicle registered in D4vd's name in September of that year, in a decomposed and mutilated state.

Prosecutors have charged D4vd with first-degree murder, repeated sexual abuse of a minor and desecration of a corpse. He has denied all charges and pleaded not guilty.

D4vd is a singer-songwriter who built a wide following among Generation Z (born 1997–2006) with music blending indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. His 2022 track "Romantic Homicide" surpassed 1 billion streams, and he was on a North America and Europe tour in support of his debut album when he was arrested on July 17.

"Romantic Homicide," his signature song, uses murder as a metaphor for a romantic breakup, and its music video features a knife and a blood-soaked woman — details that drew online attention for their parallels to the real-life case.

The preliminary hearing concludes Monday, after which a decision will be made on whether to proceed to trial. If convicted, D4vd could face life in prison or the death penalty.


betterj@heraldcorp.com