Prosecutors say teen at center of D4vd murder case was not pregnant when she died

The clarification follows months of speculation over an amended death certificate and testimony presented during the preliminary hearing.

Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old California girl prosecutors allege was killed by singer D4vd after an abusive relationship, was not pregnant when she died, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The clarification comes after months of speculation fueled by an amendment to Rivas’ death certificate that changed her pregnancy status from “no” to “unknown,” prompting questions about whether she was pregnant at the time of her death.

People reported that prosecutors confirmed July 29 that Rivas was not pregnant when she died in April 2025. Officials said the earlier amendment referred only to whether she may have been pregnant at any point during the year before her death—not whether she was pregnant when she died.

That distinction is significant because testimony presented during David Anthony Burke’s, professionally known as D4vd, preliminary hearing included evidence that Rivas discussed a pregnancy in late 2023 and an abortion in January 2024, when she was 13.

According to prosecutors, those events occurred more than a year before Rivas’ death and do not conflict with the district attorney’s latest finding.

D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, has pleaded not guilty to murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. Prosecutors allege Burke killed Rivas on April 23, 2025, after she threatened to expose their relationship and the alleged abuse. Her remains were found Sept. 8 inside the front trunk of Burke’s impounded Tesla.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled July 27 that prosecutors had presented enough evidence for Burke to stand trial. During the five-day preliminary hearing, jurors heard testimony about phone records, forensic evidence and the timeline surrounding Rivas’ disappearance and death.

Among that evidence, Los Angeles Police Department Detective Corey Farell testified that messages recovered from Burke’s phone showed Rivas discussing a pregnancy in late 2023 and an abortion in early 2024. Prosecutors now say those messages describe events that predated her death by more than a year and therefore do not contradict their finding that she was not pregnant when she died.

Burke remains held without bail and is scheduled to return to court for a post-preliminary arraignment Aug. 31. If convicted, he could face life in prison without parole or the death penalty, though prosecutors have not announced whether they intend to seek capital punishment.