As D4vd awaits trial over the death of 14-year-old Celeste Hernandez, prosecutors claim investigators reviewing his personal accounts have found a ‘significant amount of child pornography’.
The 21-year-old singer-songwriter, whose legal name is David Burke, was arrested last week and formally charged on April 20 in connection with Hernandez’s alleged murder and dismemberment. The charges come nearly nine months after the teenager’s remains were discovered in his vehicle, according to prosecutors.
Hernandez was reported missing by her family in 2024 when she was 13 and, authorities say, she was not seen alive again. Burke is now facing the most severe level of sentencing exposure tied to aggravating allegations that include lying in wait, committing a crime for financial gain, and killing a witness during an investigation.
Burke has denied wrongdoing. In court today, however, prosecutors said their evidence review has expanded after the recovery of what they described as an enormous amount of digital material from Burke’s iCloud account and physical storage devices.
LA County deputy district attorney Beth Silverman told the court that investigators have only reviewed about one terabyte so far from roughly eight terabytes allegedly recovered from Burke’s iCloud. She said the process has been slowed by the time required to upload and handle the volume of material.
Despite that limited progress, Silverman said the partial review has already produced a ‘significant amount’ of child abuse images allegedly stored within the account.
Prosecutors did not specify how much of the full eight terabytes—roughly 8,000 gigabytes—relates to child abuse imagery. Silverman also told the court that additional data, described as about 30 terabytes, was located on multiple devices said to belong to Burke.
As both sides prepare for trial, prosecutors said the digital evidence will need to be organized onto drives and then reviewed by the prosecution and defense. Variety reported that Burke was ‘slumped’ in his chair while the масштаб of the data review was discussed in court.
The disclosure about the alleged digital material follows the release of autopsy findings in the Hernandez case by the LA County medical examiner.
According to the autopsy, Hernandez’s injuries were described as consistent with ‘homicide’, and her cause of death was listed as ‘multiple penetrating injuries’ involving wounds to the chest, torso, and abdomen.
The report was unsealed this week, despite being completed in December, after authorities say her remains were found in multiple bags inside an impounded Tesla linked to D4vd. Prosecutors allege her arms and legs had been removed.
Below is a timeline of key events referenced in the case and its aftermath:
Celeste Rivas Hernandez, aged 13, is reported missing by her family from Lake Elsinore, California. It is the third time she is reported missing that year, but tragically she is never seen by her parents again.
D4vd’s debut album Withered is released. It debuts at No. 13 on the Billboard chart, with 30,000 units sold in the first week. He tells The Hollywood Reporter that 80 percent of the album was made on his phone and he recorded vocal takes in his sister’s closet.
D4vd begins a world tour, starting with a gig in Del Mar, California.
Celeste’s severely decomposed body is found in the front trunk of a Tesla linked to D4vd. His representatives say he is cooperating with the investigation.
D4vd performs as planned at The Fillmore Minneapolis, despite the ongoing investigation around Celeste’s death.
Celeste’s family create a fundraiser and release a statement, which reads: “As many of you know, Celeste Rivas Hernandez has been identified as the body found last week. She was a beloved daughter, sister, cousin, and friend. Her family is heartbroken and devastated by this tragic loss. Any funds you are able to donate are greatly appreciated.”
More than $24,000 is raised for them.
D4vd cancels the rest of his world tour, and the deluxe version of his debut album is not released as planned.
The Los Angeles medical examiners officer receives a court order preventing any details of Celeste’s death from being released to the public.
D4vd is arrested and held without bail.