Teenager threatened d4vd before being murdered, messages show

Musician d4vd, stage name David Anthony Burke, faces charges of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child and mutilation of a corpse. Burke has pleaded not guilty, and this week's hearing will determine whether the case will proceed to trial. The information is from the Los Angeles Times.

Messages presented in court show an argument between the teenager and the singer on April 22, 2025. "Oh, my God, I swear to God I'm going to kill you. She was in my damn place. I'm going to strangle you to death, bro. I'm going to tell my father so many lies about you, I'm going to end your career and your life, I'm going to ruin everything," Celeste wrote, apparently irritated by Burke's closeness with a friend, according to the material shown in court.

According to the defense, Celeste and Burke exchanged more than 1,200 messages in the 24-hour period cited in court. The musician's lawyer stated that the couple would have separated in November 2024, but remained in contact, with discussions about the relationship and other women with whom Burke was involved.

Defense and prosecution differ over what happened the following night, when prosecutors say the young woman was killed. A detective with the Los Angeles Police Department said Burke paid for an Uber to pick Celeste up and take her to his house in Hollywood, and that the singer continued sending messages to her cell phone hours after the car arrived.

Burke's defense explored in court the absence of direct witnesses to the crime in the interval identified by investigators. The Los Angeles Police detective confirmed that there were no direct witnesses during a 21-minute interval in which the prosecution claims Celeste was killed.

An autopsy cited in the lawsuit shows that Celeste died from stab wounds to the chest and abdomen, according to prosecutors. The prosecution maintains that she was killed inside Burke's home and then had her body dismembered. Her body was found in an abandoned car, registered in the musician's name.

Judge Charlaine Olmedo must decide whether the Prosecutor's Office presented enough evidence to take the case to trial. After the detective's testimony, prosecutors ended their presentation and the defense informed that they would not call witnesses.

The detective interviewed in the case stated that the relationship between Burke and the teenager was no secret to her family. According to the statement, Celeste's parents signed an authorization form in 2024 for their daughter to travel abroad with Burke.

Testimony also indicated that relatives were aware of the couple's travels and meetings. According to the defense, Celeste's adult sister knew that the two were in Las Vegas at the same time and the teenager even appeared with the singer's family members in a VIP box during a show at the Fonda Theater in Hollywood.

Defense also said that there were messages about plans to go to church with the teenager's family. "Celeste and David attended church with Celeste's family on several occasions," attorney Blair Berk said in court.

Celeste became pregnant and had an abortion in early 2024, according to the prosecutor's office. Days before the procedure, she wrote: "None of us could take care of [the baby], It's better this way, right?" "You're so much stronger than me, my love. I love you," Burke replied.

Burke also followed, via text messages, Celeste's abortion. He asked when the procedure would be, told her it "should take about 45 minutes," and then asked "how it went."

Later in 2024, Burke also planned to take Celeste to live with him with the help of a bodyguard. The musician guided the teenager to gather essential objects and asked if she would like to be escorted to his car by a security guard. "No, that's embarrassing, man," Celeste replied. "This is the most important day of our lives other than the day we get married and you're worrying about 'embarrassment'?" Burke responded. Two days later, Celeste's parents contacted authorities to say that their daughter was missing.

In a message from December 2024, the singer blames Celeste for a sexual relationship. "You asked me if I wanted to have sex, and I gave in. Then we stopped, you cried and I hugged you," the musician wrote. "I didn't ask that, David. We kissed and I was going home," she replied.

A month before the alleged murder, Celeste said she just wanted to be “friends” with the artist. "We can be friends, but only virtually. I don't want to see you anymore if I want to move forward. We just fuck and hang out together, man. I want more than that for myself," Celeste said in March 2025.

Communication between Burke and Celeste reportedly began in 2022, when she was 11 years old. "I can't wait to live with you without the cops bothering me," the musician wrote in 2024, when she was 14 years old. He also expressed a desire to gather her documents to "escape the country and get married in Italy."

"I just want the ['wanted'] posters to go away and for you to be able to hop on planes with me. I can pay," said d4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke.

IN CASE OF VIOLENCE, REPORT

When you witness an episode of aggression against women, call 911 and report it.

Cases of domestic violence are, in most cases, committed by women's partners or ex-partners, but the Maria da Penha Law can also be applied to attacks committed by family members.

It is also possible to make reports by calling 180 -Women's Service Center- and Dial 100, which investigates human rights violations.