D4vd had a ‘significant amount of child pornography,’ prosecutor tells judge overseeing his murder case

David Burke had a “significant amount of child pornography” on his iCloud account, prosecutors told a Los Angeles judge overseeing the murder case against the 21-year-old singer known by the stage name D4vd.

Earlier this week, Burke was charged with murder in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered body was found in the trunk of his Tesla last year. He pleaded not guilty.

The disclosure came during a status hearing to determine whether there was enough evidence to proceed to trial. Burke’s defense attorneys said they had received little evidence from prosecutors. Beth Silverman, deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County, said that investigators had gathered an enormous amount of data — more than 20 terabytes — after executing search warrants on Burke’s electronic devices, and that it was taking time to upload the material.

Silverman also revealed that authorities had obtained a court-authorized wiretap of Burke’s phone last year.

Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo scheduled another hearing for April 29. A preliminary hearing was set for May 1.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced the filing of charges on Monday. Burke was charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances, including lying in wait, murder committed for financial gain and murder of a witness to an investigation. The singer was also charged with lewd and lascivious sexual acts with a person under 14 years old and the mutilation of a human body.

According to Hochman, Burke engaged in a sexual relationship with Rivas Hernandez and murdered her to “maintain his very lucrative musical career” when she threatened to expose him. The charges include a special allegation that Burke used a deadly and dangerous weapon — a sharp instrument — to commit the crime.

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner revealed the official cause and manner of death in the case.

The cause of Rivas Hernandez’s death was “multiple penetrating injuries caused by object(s),” according to the medical examiner. The manner of death was homicide.

An autopsy identified two penetrating wounds to the torso — one on the right side of the abdomen that damaged her liver, and another on the upper left chest that passed between two ribs and fractured adjacent ribs.

The medical examiner said the cause and manner of death were determined on Dec. 10, but a court order initiated by the LAPD prevented the coroner’s office from releasing its findings.

Burke was arrested on April 16 by members of the LAPD’s Robbery Homicide Division at a home in the Hollywood Hills.

In a statement following his arrest, Burke’s attorneys said they were prepared to “vigorously defend David’s innocence.”

“Let us be clear ​​— the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death,” they said.

Earlier this week, Burke was transferred to Twin Towers Correctional Facility, the same jail where Nick Reiner is being held. Reiner was charged with the murders of his parents, filmmaker Rob Reiner and wife, Michele Singer Reiner.

How the case unfolded

Rivas Hernandez was reported missing in April 2024, when she disappeared from her home in Lake Elsinore, Calif., about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

On April 23, 2025, Burke invited Rivas Hernandez to his house in the Hollywood Hills, according to police.

“She was never heard from again,” Hochman said.

Her body was found on Sept. 8, a day before she would have turned 15, in a Tesla registered to Burke that had been towed to an impound lot from the Hollywood Hills, where it had been parked for several weeks after seemingly being abandoned.

Officers responded to the tow yard after someone reported smelling a strong odor coming from the vehicle.

Inside the front trunk, detectives found a plastic bag containing “a decomposed head and torso,” according to court documents. A second bag containing dismembered body parts was also found inside the vehicle.

Forensics later determined the remains were those of Rivas Hernandez. Hochman said Monday that investigators believe the dismembered body “sat for over four months decomposing until it was found.”

David Anthony Burke was born in Queens, N.Y., and moved to Texas in his early teens. He rose to fame as D4vd, pronounced “David,” on TikTok, amassing more than 3.6 million followers.

The singer’s blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi alt-pop produced a string of viral hits, including 2022’s “Romantic Homicide,” which has more than 1 billion streams on Spotify. He signed with Interscope Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.

At the time of the gruesome discovery, D4vd was performing in Minneapolis as part of a world tour in support of his first full-length album, Withered.

After the medical examiner identified the body as being that of Rivas Hernandez, the tour was canceled.

Why did it take so long for an arrest?

At a news conference on Monday, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell defended the length of time it took to build the “extraordinarily difficult and complex case,” saying investigators were hampered by unusual circumstances.

“The condition of her remains delayed the medical examiner’s ability to be able to determine the cause of death,” McDonnell said. “The substantial amount of time that passed between her death and the discovery meant that crucial evidence had degraded or disappeared.”

At the same time, McDonnell said investigators had to deal with rumors and misinformation about the lurid case. In November, the LAPD released a statement saying that the teen’s body “was not frozen when it was discovered” and that she “had not been decapitated.”

Hochman said it took months to develop “physical, forensic and digital” evidence tying Burke to the killing.

On Sept. 17, police served a search warrant at the Hollywood Hills home where Burke had been staying.  TMZ reported that LAPD homicide detectives walked out of the house with a computer and several evidence bags.

At that point in the investigation, a spokesman for the singer said he was “fully cooperating with authorities.” By November, he had stopped cooperating, according to NBC News.

According to the Associated Press, Burke had been under investigation by an L.A. County grand jury looking into the death of Rivas Hernandez since at least February. But he was not officially named a suspect until his arrest on Thursday.

‘Justice for Celeste’

A day after Burke was charged, the Rivas Hernandez family issued a statement thanking investigators for “their hard work” on the case and “the people of Lake Elsinore for all their support.”

“Celeste was a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance. Every Friday night was movie night and we spent wonderful times together,” the family’s statement read. “We love her very much and she always told us that she loved us. We miss her deeply. All we want is justice for Celeste.”

If convicted, Burke faces a maximum sentence of death or life without the possibility of parole. The district attorney said his office has not yet decided whether to pursue the death penalty.