The courtroom in downtown Los Angeles fell into a stunned silence today as prosecutors unveiled a trove of explicit text messages and digital evidence that directly contradicts the narrative that rising music star David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, was the reluctant participant in a relationship with 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
During the fourth day of the preliminary hearing, LAPD Detective Corey Ferrell took the stand to describe dozens of graphic images and conversations recovered from Burke’s iCloud account, effectively flipping the prosecution’s earlier portrayal of the teenager as the aggressor. Instead, the evidence suggests Burke was the one who repeatedly pushed for greater intimacy, cohabitation, and even marriage with a child.
“He was the one who brought up moving in together, spending more time together, a wedding, and having kids,” reported Julia Dang of NBCLA, who was inside the courtroom. “These were not one-sided requests. David was aggressively pursuing this relationship.”
The testimony marks a seismic shift in a case already saturated with horror. Burke, 27, is charged with the murder, dismemberment, and disposal of Hernandez, whose remains were discovered last fall. He also faces a separate felony count of continuous sexual 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮 of a child under 14.
Prosecutors displayed printed sheets of text messages that were read aloud and shown to the court. In one exchange from early 2024, Burke discussed arranging an abortion for Hernandez, who would have been just 13 years old at the time. The messages included Hernandez’s confirmation that the pregnancy was Burke’s.
“She expressed regret over the abortion,” Dang said. “She said she would do anything to take it back.”
The digital evidence also revealed a plan Burke allegedly code-named “Operation Awesome,” in which he encouraged Hernandez to run away from her home in Lake Elsinore. He repeatedly asked if her bags were packed, referred to a “runaway date,” and instructed her to bring everything she couldn’t immediately replace.
Hernandez’s mother, Mercedes, was forced to leave the courtroom during the testimony. Her father and their attorney followed as the descriptions of the explicit photographs became too much to bear.
“I could hear her holding back wracking sobs,” Dang said. “It was the first time in this hearing that Celeste was presented as a living, breathing human being with her own voice, not just a bag of decomposing body parts.”
For the first time during the week-long hearing, Burke appeared to break his stoic demeanor. As Detective Ferrell described explicit images of Burke and Hernandez engaged in sexual acts, the defendant began fidgeting, jiggling his leg, and scribbling notes on a legal pad.
“Before today, I hadn’t seen him write down a single thing,” Dang noted. “When the autopsy photos were shown, he was stone-faced. But when the explicit photos were described, he began to shrink in his seat.”
The defense team, led by Blair Berk and Marilyn Bidnorski, offered no objections during the digital evidence testimony, a stark contrast to their aggressive cross-examination of earlier witnesses. Legal observers suggest this indicates the evidence may be nearly irrefutable.
“They are not challenging these text messages and photos because they cannot,” said Chris Stewart, the Law & Crime anchor. “The timestamps and content are damning. This is direct proof of the sexual 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮 charge.”
Earlier in the day, Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Grant Hoe testified about the autopsy findings. He described multiple penetrating wounds to Hernandez’s torso, including damage to her liver and ribs.
Hoe initially mentioned the possibility of a gunshot wound but later clarified he was not speculating, only noting that any sharp object could have caused the injuries.
The defense used cross-examination to suggest that Hernandez may have been holding the knife when she was stabbed, a theory that drew incredulous looks in the courtroom. Hoe conceded that due to the advanced state of decomposition, he could not definitively rule out that scenario, but he maintained that the cause of death was penetrating trauma.
“They’re trying to create reasonable doubt wherever possible,” Stewart said. “But the medical examiner handled himself well. He has done over 2,500 autopsies.”
The preliminary hearing is not about guilt or innocence but about whether there is enough evidence to proceed to trial. Given the volume and nature of the evidence presented this week, many legal experts believe the judge will likely bind the case over.
“The digital evidence alone is overwhelming for the sexual 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮 charge,” Dang said. “And while the murder charge relies heavily on circumstantial and forensic evidence, the prosecution is building a narrative that Burke killed Hernandez to silence her.”
The hearing is scheduled to continue Monday at 9:15 a. m. Pacific time.
LAPD Detective Corey Ferrell is expected to face cross-examination from the defense, which may attempt to cast doubt on the authenticity or interpretation of the digital records.
Burke remains held without bail. If convicted on all counts, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. The case has drawn intense media scrutiny, with sketch artists capturing the emotional reactions of family members and the courtroom audience.
As the sun set on another harrowing day in Los Angeles Superior Court, the image of a 13-year-old girl’s hopeful text messages—talking about the most important day of her life aside from her wedding—lingered in the minds of those who heard them.
“It was the worst day in court for me personally,” Dang admitted. “Because for the first time, we heard her voice. And it was a voice that should still be alive.”
