LOS ANGELES — Singer D4vd possessed a "significant amount" of child sex abuse images on an iCloud storage account, prosecutors revealed in a hearing Thursday, days after he was charged with the murder of a 14-year-old girl.
D4vd, the 21-year-old performer whose real name is David Anthony Burke, pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, continuous sexual abuse and mutilation of human remains on Monday in the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The 14-year-old was found dismembered in the trunk of the singer's impounded Tesla in September, though officials believe she died in April 2025.
Attorneys for Burke have said they will "vigorously defend his innocence" and that they believe the evidence will show he had no involvement in Celeste's death.
Both sides appeared in court on Thursday as Burke's legal team seeks evidence in the case, noting on Monday during his arraignment that they had received little discovery.
Beth Silverman, deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County, said that there was an enormous amount of material in case file and it's taking a long time to upload. She said Burke's iCloud account alone had eight terabytes of data and that only one terabyte has so far been downloaded.
Silverman told the court that there is a "significant amount" of child sex abuse images on the iCloud account belonging to Burke.
It is unclear how much of the eight terabytes of data on the account contain child sex abuse content.
Prosecutors noted that 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.
Other evidence in the case requires motions to be unsealed, including a wire tap and grand jury testimony. There were also 20 to 30 terabytes of raw data from numerous digital devices that the district attorney's office said it is trying to transfer onto drives for Burke's defense team.
Burke, who is being held without bail, was stoic throughout the hearing and looked directly at the judge. He was slumped over in his chair while wearing an orange jumpsuit. When asked by the judge if he agreed to a specific date, he mumbled “Yeah.”
Celeste's manner of death was determined to be a homicide, according to a report released by the Los Angeles County Department of the Medical Examiner on Wednesday. An autopsy found two penetrating wounds to her torso that may represent "sharp force injuries."
She had other wounds that penetrated her liver and chest, according to the death investigation summary.
The teenager's parents are not in court on Thursday. Her family is devastated by the details of their daughter's "horrible and gruesome death, according to a statement from family attorney Patrick Steinfeld.
"These findings have caused profound emotional pain for the family," Steinfeld said Wednesday. "They respectfully ask for privacy, understanding, and patience as they process this information."
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman accused Burke of killing the teen girl to maintain his lucrative music career, which he said she threatened. She was last known to be alive on April 23, 2025, when she was seen at Burke's Hollywood Hills home.
Celeste was reported missing from her home in Lake Elsinore, California, a year earlier in April 2024. Her whereabouts between then and showing up at Burke's home a year later are unclear.
A criminal complaint filed against Burke on Monday alleged that the sexual abuse of Celeste occurred “on or between” September 7, 2023, and September 7, 2024, “while the defendant resided with, and had recurring access to, the child.” Celeste would have turned 13-years-old on Sept. 7, 2023.
Her body was not found until Sept. 7, 2025, when police were called to Hollywood Tow due to concerns of a foul odor coming from Burke's Tesla. It was the day after what would have been Celeste's 15th birthday.
A court filing in February showed that Burke was the target of a grand jury investigation, saying Celeste “may have been the victim of foul play.” Both his parents, Colleen and Dawud Burke, were ordered to appear Feb. 11 before a grand jury, according to court documents.
The investigation was hindered by the severe decomposition of Celeste's remains as "crucial evidence had degraded or disappeared," Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said this week.
Prosecutors are seeking three enhancements to the "Romantic Homicide" singer's murder charge: lying in wait, financial gain and murdering a witness to an investigation. The special circumstances could potentially make this a death penalty case.
A judge denied requests for cameras in court at the next scheduled hearings, citing the sensitivity of the child sex abuse images. Attorneys are expected to meet at the courthouse again next week.
