D4vd was allegedly in possession of “a significant amount of child pornography”, the court heard today (Thursday April 23).
The musician (real name David Anthony Burke) was charged with the murder of a 14-year-old girl, Celeste Rivas Hernandez, on Monday (April 20). Her remains had been found severely decomposed in the front boot of a Tesla registered to Burke last September. Earlier this year, the artist was named as the target of a grand jury investigation into the apparent murder of the teen.
According to Rolling Stone, investigators have obtained access to Burke’s iCloud account, which they claimed “contains a significant amount of child pornography”.
The development came from a prosecutor in a Los Angeles courtroom, where the judge scheduled a follow-up hearing for next Wednesday (April 29) to go over evidence production.
Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman confirmed today that the investigation into Burke included a wiretap. Additionally, three grand juries “convened to investigate, not to indict, but to investigate” the case. She said these were held in November, December and February.
“There is a voluminous amount of digital data in this case,” Silverman explained. However, investigators had only uploaded approximately 30 per cent of their evidence to a system accessible to the defence after five weeks of work.
The first day of Burke’s preliminary hearing, to review evidence in open court, was also set for Friday May 1.
Burke and his lawyers reportedly signalled they were still pushing for an immediate preliminary hearing in his first-degree murder case, despite today’s claim relating to child porn.
Marilyn Bednarski, a defence lawyer, told the court: “It’s been an informative hearing.”
Burke has been charged with first-degree murder, as well as murder for “financial gain” and with murder of a witness to an investigation.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and is being held without bail. If found guilty, he could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
The third charge of murdering a witness to an investigation is related to evidence that shows the victim was a witness in an investigation of sexual acts committed by Burke, said District Attorney Nathan Hochman. The DA added that the charges involve numerous sexual acts with a minor and the mutilation of a body.
The LA medical examiner’s officer shared yesterday (Wednesday April 22) that Rivas Hernandez’s death was a homicide, noting that she died from “multiple penetrating injuries” caused by an undisclosed object or objects.
Meanwhile, the Rivas family has thanked the police for their “hard work” on the case so far, as well as “the people of Lake Elsinore for all their support”.
“Celeste was a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance,” the statement continued. “Every Friday night was movie night, and we spent wonderful times together. We love her very much and she always told us that she loved us.”
“We miss her deeply,” the family added. “All we want is justice for Celeste.”
In the wake of D4vd being charged, his collaborations with Laufey, Damiano David, Kali Uchis and more have been removed from online streaming platforms.
The victim was first reported missing in April 2024, with the Tesla later being discovered after it had been moved to an impound lot in LA. The LAPD subsequently confirmed that the case was being treated as an “investigation into murder”.
