An iPhone owned by singer D4vd, who is charged with killing a 14-year-old girl whose dismembered body was found in the trunk of his Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard, contained “a significant amount of child pornography,” a prosecutor told a judge Thursday, as attorneys agreed to convene again next week to determine how quickly a hearing can be held to determine if the case can proceed to trial.
The 21-year-old D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, is charged with capital murder in the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose remains were found Sept. 8, 2025, in the front trunk of the Tesla registered to the singer. The body was decomposed and dismembered, with the head and torso in one bag and her severed limbs in another, authorities said.
D4vd — pronounced “David” — was charged Monday with murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under age 14 and mutilation of human remains. He remains jailed without bail, and could face a possible death sentence if convicted, although prosecutors have not yet decided if they will seek capital punishment.
Through his attorneys, D4vd pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday.
In court Thursday, prosecutors and defense attorneys discussed next steps in the case, with a status conference scheduled for next Wednesday afternoon, when the parties are expected to determine how quickly they can proceed with a preliminary hearing, which will determine if there is enough evidence for D4vd to stand trial.
Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman told Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo the prosecution is “anxious” to being the preliminary hearing, noting it has “been one year since Celeste’s death.” Prosecutors said Monday they believe Celeste was killed by D4vd in a Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025.
Silverman noted, however, that there is a voluminous amount of evidence in the case. She said three grand juries had been hearing evidence in the investigation, and evidence ran the gamut from police reports to body-worn video to forensic reports and the medical examiner’s investigation.
She also said during the hearing, without elaborating on the content, that D4vd’s iPhone contained “a significant amount of child pornography.”
Defense attorneys asked that prosecutors turn over as much “basic discovery” as they cas as quickly as possible. Olmedo tentatively scheduled a preliminary hearing to begin next Friday, May 1. Silverman told the judge the prosecution estimated its portion of that hearing would take between four and five days. It’s unclear how long the defense portion of the hearing might take.
D4vd, appearing in court Thursday in orange jail clothes, did not speak during the hearing.
On Wednesday, the county Medical Examiner’s Office released the long-sealed autopsy report on Celeste’s death. The examination concluded that the teen died of “multiple penetrating injuries” with an object or objects.
The autopsy was performed on Sept. 10, 2025, two days after the girl’s body was found. The manner and cause of death were determined Dec. 9, 2025, but the results had been ordered sealed by a judge while police and the District Attorney’s Office built their case.
Celeste’s body was found just days after what would have been her 15th birthday.
Patrick Steinfeld, attorney for Celeste’s parents Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, released a statement Wednesday 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. Jesus and Mercedes will not attend David Anthony Burke’s hearing (Thursday). The Rivas Hernandez family sincerely appreciates the community’s support and concern.”
The autopsy report gave specific details about the manner in which the teen’s body was dismembered, the location of the penetration wounds on her side and chest and the amputation of two of her fingers.
The murder charge against D4vd includes the special circumstance allegations of lying in wait, murder for financial gain and killing a witness in a criminal investigation. The District Attorney’s Office is expected to decide later whether to seek the death penalty against Burke.
At a Monday news conference, District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the lying in wait allegation stems from D4vd’s invitation to Celeste to come to his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, after which she was never seen again, while the financial gain allegation stems from the singer’s effort to maintain his lucrative music career, which was being threatened by his alleged sexual relationship with the underage girl, Hochman said. Celeste was considered the key witness in that investigation, leading to the allegation of murdering a witness, he said.
D4vd was arrested last Thursday afternoon by Los Angeles Police Department officers. His attorneys issued a statement last week denying the singer killed Celeste.
“Let us be clear, 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,” defense attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter said. “There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed. David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”
Celeste, of Lake Elsinore, had been reported missing by her mother in 2024, when the girl was just 13. Her mother previously told reporters her daughter had a boyfriend named David. D4vd has a tattoo on one of his fingers matching the one reading “Shhh” that the medical examiner revealed previously was on Rivas’ index finger.
The Tesla in which her body was found had been abandoned near a home in the 1300 block of Doheny Place, not far from a home D4vd had rented. During the investigation, police served a search warrant at the house and took several items as possible evidence.
“The vehicle had been parked at the location from which it was towed for several weeks, so Ms. Rivas Hernandez may have been deceased for several weeks before the discovery of her body,” police said in a statement in September.
In November, police acknowledged media reports that D4vd traveled to the Santa Barbara area during spring of last year for unknown reasons. The media reports suggested that he traveled to a remote area and remained there for several hours, and that the singer may have had help from another person to dismember the teen’s body.
Police did not provide specifics, saying only, “The reason for that trip is still under investigation and we’ve drawn no conclusions at this point about the relevance of the trip to this case.”
The dismembered and deteriorated condition of the teen’s body is believed to have played a key role in the length of the criminal investigation.
It was unclear how many people testified before the grand juries that were hearing evidence in the case.
In January, Neo Langston, a 23-year-old social media personality and friend of D4vd, was arrested in Montana, allegedly for failing to appear as a witness in Los Angeles.
In February, D4vd’s parents — Dawud and Colleen Burke — filed court papers seeking to quash subpoenas they had received to appear before the grand jury. Their court papers revealed grisly details about the condition of the teen’s body when it was found, stating that her head and torso were inside a cadaver bag, and her limbs were inside a separate bag — both of which were found in the trunk of the Tesla.