A Los Angeles prosecutor revealed in court Thursday that police discovered a substantial collection of child sexual abuse material on the iCloud account of singer D4vd, who faces murder charges in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
Prosecutors said the images were found during a search warrant executed on the phone and cloud storage of D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke. The 21-year-old singer was arrested last week and charged Monday with first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains.
Celeste's remains were discovered in September inside the trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke in the Hollywood Hills. The body had been dismembered and significantly decomposed.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said during a press conference Monday that Burke engaged in a sexual relationship with the girl beginning when she was 13. Authorities believe he killed her to silence her and protect his music career. Celeste visited Burke's home on April 23, 2025, and was never seen again.
A medical examiner determined Wednesday that Celeste died from penetrating injuries, with significant wounds to her torso including one that pierced her liver. The advanced state of decomposition prevented examiners from establishing her exact cause of death initially and made it impossible to determine details like her eye color.
Burke pleaded not guilty. His legal team contends he did not kill the girl and that evidence will demonstrate he was not responsible for her death.
During Thursday's hearing, prosecutor Beth Silverman detailed the scope of evidence collected in the investigation, saying authorities gathered approximately 40 terabytes of material. The volume includes contents from Burke's devices, items from multiple search warrants, forensic evidence, and grand jury testimony. Silverman noted that sharing sensitive materials found on Burke's phone would require additional time and cannot be simply transferred over.
Burke exercised an unusual right to have a judge determine within 10 court days of arraignment whether sufficient evidence exists to proceed to trial. Few defendants invoke this option. A judge scheduled a hearing for the following week where prosecutors are expected to publicly present their evidence.
Celeste, a seventh-grader from Lake Elsinore about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles, had been reported missing in 2024 after running away from home. Her remains were discovered a day after what would have been her 15th birthday.
Her parents, Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, released their first public statement Tuesday. "We love her very much and she always told us that she loved us," they said. "We miss her deeply. All we want is justice for Celeste."
Author James Rodriguez: "The speed at which this case came together once Burke was arrested suggests investigators had been building quietly for months, but the child abuse material discovery adds a troubling new dimension to what may have been an even darker relationship than initially suspected."
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