Evidence Against D4vd Includes Wiretap and Explicit Child Abuse Images, Prosecutors Say

Editor’s note: This article contains graphic details from an autopsy report that some readers may find disturbing.

D4vd returned to court Thursday, on the one year anniversary of the day prosecutors said teenager Celeste Rivas Hernandez was last seen alive.

The alt-pop singer, born David Anthony Burke, was brought into a downtown Los Angeles courtroom in handcuffs and wore jail-issued orange clothes. The only time he spoke was when Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo asked a question and he replied, “Yes.”

Cameras were not allowed in the courtroom during Thursday’s proceedings.

Burke, 21, is charged with murder in the 14-year-old girl’s death. Prosecutors detailed a mountain of evidence against the singer, but his attorneys told the judge they are still waiting for that evidence to be shared with the defense.

Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman said the prosecution has “40 terabytes” of data, and it will take time to get it to the defense.

The Evidence
Silverman revealed evidence collected during the months-long investigation of the singer includes a “significant amount” of child sexual abuse images allegedly found on Burke’s cell phone and iCloud accounts.

“I cannot turn that type of material over,” Silverman said about the sensitive images recovered by investigators.

The prosecution noted they also have information obtained from a wiretap, and testimony gathered when three separate grand juries were convened to hear evidence in the case.

The judge postponed Thursday’s status check until Wednesday, April 29. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday, May 1, to decide if there is sufficient evidence to move to trial.

The TikTok star’s attorneys previously said, “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.”

Criminal Charges 
The singer is charged with first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14, and mutilating a body. Prosecutors said at a hearing on Monday, April 20, the murder charge includes special circumstance allegations of lying in wait, murder for financial gain, and killing a witness in a criminal investigation.

Burke pleaded not guilty through his attorney during Monday’s arraignment. The singer could face the death penalty if convicted as charged.

Prosecutors alleged the singer killed Celeste in his rented Hollywood Hills mansion on April 23, 2025. Her dismembered body was found in the front trunk of his Tesla on Sept. 8, 2025.

Autopsy Report
On Wednesday the medical examiner’s office released its 26-page autopsy report, which was previously sealed by a judge.

The report said Celeste died from “multiple penetrating injuries,” caused by unnamed “object(s).” The medical examiner said she was stabbed in the “right abdomen” causing an injury to her liver. There was a second stab wound on her “left chest.”

The police report was attached from September, when LAPD officers were summoned to a tow yard about a strong odor coming from an impounded Tesla registered to Burke.

Police wrote they found human remains placed inside “a black body bag and a black trash bag.” The autopsy described Celeste’s body as “partially skeletonized,” adding there was “insect activity,” and the left eye was missing.

Renowned forensic pathologist Mary Jumbelic — who is not involved with the case — appeared on the Law & Crime Network Wednesday night. She said the eye and other soft tissue were likely consumed by maggots as the remains decomposed. “So many times they will go for the soft parts of the eye and other soft areas,” Jumbelic explained.

Family’s Reaction
Attorney Patrick Steinfeld, who represents the teenager’s parents, Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, released a statement to Urban Hollywood 411 in response to the autopsy report.

“The Rivas Hernandez family is absolutely devastated by the findings contained in the Medical Examiner’s Report involving the horrible and gruesome death of their beloved daughter,” Steinfeld said. “These findings have caused profound emotional pain for the family. They respectfully ask for privacy, understanding, and patience as they process this information.”