Two sharp-force wounds to Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s chest and abdomen caused internal trauma, the autopsy doctor testified, though decomposition left him unable to say exactly when the 14-year-old died.
Liver toxicology showed no support for an overdose death: a benzodiazepine result was later ruled negative, and a methamphetamine finding remained inconclusive, undercutting but not eliminating defense challenges.
January 2024 text messages shown in court said Hernandez had become pregnant and had an abortion, with David Burke — the singer D4vd — apologizing and asking if the baby was his.
Prosecutors say Burke began abusing Hernandez when she was 13 and killed her in April 2025 to stop her exposing the relationship and harming a career that had earned at least $10 million by 2025.
Her dismembered body was found in a Tesla towed from the Hollywood Hills in September, and the judge is weighing whether Burke, who has pleaded not guilty, should stand trial.