Prosecutors Say D4vd’s iPhone Contains Significant Child Pornography in Celeste Rivas Hernandez Case

Singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, returned to court as prosecutors described a case built on large-scale digital evidence and child sexual abuse material.

“LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A "significant amount" of child pornography was discovered on a phone belonging to singer D4vd, who's accused of murdering a teen girl, prosecutors said during a hearing on Thursday”

ABC7 Los Angeles

Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman told a judge that evidence against the singer includes “a significant amount of child pornography” on his iPhone, along with “a wiretap” and “up to 40 terabytes of data obtained by law enforcement,” according to BET.

ABC7 Los Angeles

The same hearing was described by Billboard as taking place on Thursday (April 23), “exactly a year after D4vd (David Anthony Burke) is accused of killing 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez,” with Silverman saying the iPhone “contains a significant amount of child pornography.”

CBS News reported that prosecutors said they recovered more than 40 terabytes of digital evidence, including “a significant amount of child pornography,” in their case against Burke.

NBC News added that Silverman said Burke’s iCloud account alone had “eight terabytes of data” and that only “one terabyte has so far been downloaded,” while prosecutors said there is a “significant amount” of child sex abuse images on the iCloud account.

The charges described across outlets include first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and mutilating human remains, with Burke pleading not guilty.

Rolling Stone Australia reported that Burke was born David Anthony Burke and that prosecutors said his iCloud account “contains a significant amount of child pornography,” while the judge set follow-up hearings including a preliminary hearing structure.

In court, Burke appeared in an orange jumpsuit and, per Billboard, replied “yes ma’am” when asked whether he consented to the preliminary hearing structure.

Prosecutors told the court that the evidence in the case was assembled through multiple search warrants and investigative steps, and they described the scale of what law enforcement collected from Burke’s devices and cloud storage.

BET said prosecutors told the judge they have “around 40 terabytes of evidence in the case against him,” describing it as “a huge amount of data collected from his phone, cloud accounts, and other devices,” and that the investigation used search warrants and looked into multiple devices linked to D4vd.

BET

Billboard similarly said Silverman told the court that “via multiple search warrants and three different investigative grand juries” her office obtained “voluminous amount of digital data” from Burke’s computer and iCloud account.

CNN reported that during the hearing Silverman said evidence includes “a wiretap and up to 40 terabytes of data obtained by various law enforcement agencies,” and that “the digitization and transfer of that evidence” was discussed in court.

ABC7 Los Angeles described the hearing as a procedural check-in where prosecutors revealed that “D4vd's iPhone contained what they described as a significant amount of child sexual abuse material,” and said prosecutors have “more than 40 terabytes of discovery to turn over.”

ABC7 also said that “So far, only about 30% of all the evidence has been turned over to the defense,” while Rolling Stone Australia reported that after “five weeks of work” LAPD investigators had uploaded only “about 30 percent of their evidence to a system accessible to the defense.”

NBC Los Angeles added that prosecutors said the LAPD has “raw data from several digital devices” that “adds up to about 20 to 30 terabytes of material,” and it quoted legal analyst Royal Oakes saying, “We don't know yet because they haven't revealed it.”

Across these accounts, prosecutors also described procedural limits on turning over sensitive child sexual abuse images, with NBC News saying “protocol prevents them from turning over the sensitive images, but that defense attorneys can view the data at a clean computer in the justice center.”

The court proceedings were accompanied by detailed descriptions of the autopsy findings and the manner of death prosecutors say Celeste Rivas Hernandez suffered.

“The lead prosecutor on D4vd’s murder case says there’s “a significant amount of child pornography” included in more than 40 terabytes of evidence collected from the singer’s phone, computer and iCloud account”

Billboard

BET said the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s autopsy report, released Wednesday after being sealed at law enforcement’s request since December, concluded she died of “multiple penetrating injuries” consistent with stabbing, and that her arms and legs were severed.

BET also reported that wounds on her chest and abdomen “may represent sharp force injuries,” that two fingers on her left hand had been removed, and that blue plastic fragments were “embedded in the cut surfaces” of her remains.

CNN described the autopsy report as stating Celeste died from “multiple penetrating injuries,” and it said her dismembered body was found in September in the front trunk of d4vd’s Tesla, which had been towed from the Hollywood Hills to a police impound lot.

CNN also said the medical examiner’s office reported two wounds that “may represent sharp force injuries” on her chest and abdomen, and that her arms and legs had been dismembered with “multiple blue plastic fragments” embedded in cut surfaces.

Rolling Stone Australia added further detail that the report notes her limbs were “dismembered into several fragments,” her head was “partially skeletonized” with a missing eye, and soft tissue showed signs of “liquefication,” while it also said she could not be fingerprinted “due to waterlogged fingers.”

NBC Los Angeles reported that the medical examiner’s office listed Celeste’s cause of death as multiple penetrating injuries caused by an object or objects, indicating a stabbing, and that Burke appeared in court Thursday when a date was set for a preliminary hearing.

Prosecutors’ allegations about the timeline of the killing were described by CBS News and NBC News, with CBS News saying Burke was accused of killing Rivas in April 2025 and that the special circumstances include lying in wait, committing the crime for financial gain, and murdering a witness in an ongoing investigation.

NBC News said the DA accused Burke of killing the teen girl to maintain his lucrative music career, which he said she threatened, and it stated she was last known to be alive on April 23, 2025, when she was seen at Burke’s Hollywood Hills home.

The autopsy and evidence descriptions were paired with defense statements, including Blair Berk’s claim that “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,” as quoted by BET and CNN.

The hearing described by multiple outlets focused not only on evidence but also on procedural timing, with defense attorneys seeking access to discovery and asking to adjust the preliminary hearing schedule.

BET said the preliminary hearing was postponed to May 1 at the defense’s request, and it described that the DA’s office began handing over investigative findings to D4vd’s defense team, while the defense said Monday they had received “almost no discovery” related to the case.

CBS News

CNN reported that the defense asked to postpone the preliminary hearing because it was waiting on evidence from the district attorney’s office, and it said the hearing is now set for May 1.

ABC7 Los Angeles said the preliminary hearing appeared on the calendar but “it didn't go forward,” and instead the matter was handled as a status conference referred to as a “3 of 10,” with the court reconvening on Wednesday, April 29.

Rolling Stone Australia said the judge set a follow-up hearing for April 29 to go over evidence production, and it also described that the first day of the preliminary hearing, a mini-trial in open court, was set for May 1.

CBS News said the proceeding was initially scheduled as a preliminary hearing to determine if there was enough evidence for trial, but instead both sides discussed next steps and scheduled a secondary status update conference for Wednesday, April 29, with the preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled for May 1.

NBC Los Angeles reported that the judge asked Burke whether he agreed to the May 1 date, and it quoted Burke saying “Yeah.”

NBC News described Burke as being held without bail and said attorneys for Burke have said they will “vigorously defend” his innocence, while it quoted family attorney Patrick Steinfeld saying the family was “overwhelmed and devastated” by details revealed in court.

In parallel, prosecutors said they had not yet fully uploaded evidence to systems accessible to the defense, with Rolling Stone Australia saying LAPD investigators had uploaded only “about 30 percent of their evidence to a system accessible to the defense,” and with ABC7 Los Angeles saying only about 30% had been turned over.

The defense position was consistent across outlets, including Blair Berk’s statement that “We will vigorously defend David's innocence,” and the broader claim quoted by Billboard that “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.”

The next steps in the case center on whether prosecutors can present sufficient evidence at the preliminary hearing and how quickly discovery can be provided to the defense, with multiple outlets describing a large volume of data and ongoing procedural disputes.

“Child pornography is among the key evidence Los Angeles prosecutors say will bolster their case against alt-pop singer d4vd, who has been charged with murder and prolonged sexual abuse of a middle school-aged girl whose remains were found in the trunk of his car last year”

CNN

Billboard said the preliminary hearing is set to begin on May 1 and last between four and five days, and it said the lawyers will return to court for a status update next week to decide whether they need more time to prepare.

CNN

CBS News said the preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for May 1 and that defense attorneys asked that prosecutors provide as much “basic discovery” as possible during the proceeding.

NBC News reported that prosecutors noted protocol prevents them from turning over sensitive images, but defense attorneys can view the data at a clean computer, and it said attorneys are expected to meet at the courthouse again next week.

ABC7 Los Angeles said the court will reconvene on Wednesday, April 29, to check in on progress and if a preliminary hearing can actually occur on May 1, and it also said the hearing could still be delayed next week if either side says they’re not ready or that enough discovery has not been handed over.

Rolling Stone Australia said the clock is ticking on his right to a preliminary hearing within 10 days of being charged, and it described the judge warning Burke not to miss the morning bus from jail for his next hearing.

NBC Los Angeles quoted legal analyst Royal Oakes saying, “On May 1, there's going to be a preliminary hearing where there's going to be a mini trial… where the prosecution will lay out their case.”

The stakes described by prosecutors include potential maximum penalties tied to special circumstances, with BET saying the special circumstances make the case eligible for the death penalty or life without parole, and CBS News saying Hochman alleged Burke could face the maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty if convicted.

NBC News also said prosecutors are seeking three enhancements to the murder charge: lying in wait, financial gain and murdering a witness to an investigation, and it said the special circumstances could potentially make this a death penalty case.

Beyond the courtroom, the family’s statements emphasized the emotional toll and requests for privacy, with NBC News quoting Patrick Steinfeld saying, “These findings have caused profound emotional pain for the family,” and it quoted the family attorney’s request for “privacy, understanding, and patience.”

In court, Burke’s defense continued to insist on innocence, with BET quoting Blair Berk’s statement that “We will vigorously defend David's innocence,” and with Billboard quoting defense lawyers saying, “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.”