Child pornography among evidence in case against singer d4vd, accused of murdering 14-year-old

By Elizabeth Wolfe, Andi Babineau, Jason Kravarik, CNN

(CNN) — 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.

The 21-year-old entertainer, who was arrested on April 16, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 years old and mutilating human remains.

D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, is accused of killing 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez – who was last seen alive going to his home in April 2025 – when she threatened to expose his sexual relationship with her and ruin his career, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday.

Celeste was killed by multiple penetration wounds, according to an autopsy report released Wednesday by the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office.

During a court hearing Thursday, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman said evidence against the singer includes “a significant amount of child pornography” on Burke’s iPhone, a wiretap and up to 40 terabytes of data obtained by various law enforcement agencies.

The digitization and transfer of that evidence – which includes police documents, sheriff’s department data, body-worn camera videos, forensic reports, vehicle reports and images, and chemical processing – was discussed in court.

Under the law, child pornography evidence can’t be obtained without adhering to a specific protocol from the court, Silverman said. Her office has begun handing over the investigative findings to d4vd’s attorneys, who said Monday they had received “almost no discovery” related to the case.

As Burke sat in court, clad in a bright orange jumpsuit, the defense asked to postpone the preliminary hearing because it is waiting on evidence from the district attorney’s office. The hearing is now set for May 1.

Blair Berk – one of d4vd’s attorneys – said previously in a statement, “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. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”

Autopsy sheds light on cause of death

Ahead of the charges against Burke, details of how Celeste died and who was under investigation remained hidden as authorities convened a grand jury and shielded investigative findings from the public.

But an autopsy report, which had previously been sealed by a judge, was finally released Wednesday. It revealed Celeste died from “multiple penetrating injuries.”

The girl’s 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.

Celeste’s remains were in a zippered body bag and she had two wounds that “may represent sharp force injuries” – one to her chest and another to her abdomen, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office. Additional skin abrasions are noted, though the medical examiner could not determine the causes because of the severe decomposition of the body.

Her arms and legs had been dismembered, and multiple blue plastic fragments were “embedded in the cut surfaces,” and submitted into evidence, the report details. Two fingers had also been removed from her left hand.

Board Certified Forensic Pathologist Dr. Priya Banerjee, who reviewed the report that was made public and is not involved with the case, said the injuries described were most consistent with stabbing and the girl was likely dismembered after she died.

“This is a very difficult case because of the decomposition,” Banerjee said. “It looks like likely a knife made [the wounds] but I can see why they use the wording they did, given the condition of the body.”

A tattoo reading “Shhh….” was documented on the inside of her right index finger, according to the medical examiner’s report, similar to the tattoo d4vd has on his finger.

Alcohol was also detected in her system, though the medical examiner notes it’s unclear whether it’s present because of ingestion or decomposition.

D4vd linked to girl before her disappearance

Celeste, who was in seventh grade, had been linked to Burke around the time of her disappearance in 2024. The pair had appeared together on a Twitch stream that January, and d4vd had been photographed blocks from the girl’s home in Lake Elsinore, California, sometime between January and March 2024, CNN has reported.

Around that time, Celeste’s family and friends became increasingly worried about her safety and whereabouts, urgently pleading for help from their neighbors, the public and police. She was reported missing three times between February and April 2024, culminating in a final missing person report to police on April 5 of that year.

The girl remained alive for at least a year after being reported missing, though it is unclear where she was staying or who was aware of her location.

Celeste was last known to be alive on April 23, 2025, when d4vd summoned her to his home in the Hollywood Hills, District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.

“She was never heard from again,” the district attorney said.

Several months passed before Celeste’s body was found in the singer’s car in September 2025. The black Tesla had apparently been abandoned on a street not far from the home where d4vd was renting, neighbors said. After sitting untouched, the car was impounded and towed to a lot in Hollywood, where an employee alerted police to a foul smell emanating from the vehicle.

Seven more months passed as investigators remained tight-lipped and fielded criticism for the lack of an arrest in the case. Legal analysts have told CNN the investigation may have been prolonged by several factors, including severely decomposed evidence, sensitive allegations involving a minor and a handful of reluctant witnesses.

The murder charge the singer faces carries three special circumstances: lying in wait, committing a murder for financial gain and murdering “a witness to a crime.”

Prosecutors accuse d4vd of engaging in “continuous sexual abuse” of Celeste starting in September 2023 until September 2024, and they say Celeste witnessed “lewd and lascivious sexual acts” the singer committed.

Hochman accused d4vd of killing the girl “to maintain his very lucrative musical career that Celeste was threatening” on April 23.

Celeste’s family was overwhelmed and devastated to hear details of the allegations against d4vd during his arraignment on Monday, their attorney, Patrick Steinfeld, told CNN.

“Celeste was a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance,” the family said in a statement.

“We love her very much and she always told us that she loved us,” they added. “We miss her deeply. All we want is Justice for Celeste.”

CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas, Alaa Elassar, Zoe Sottile, Norma Galeana and Kyung Lah contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.