Photo Credit:Ted Soqui/Associated Press
In a courtroom bombshell that has further complicated the capital murder case against David Anthony Burke, the singer-songwriter known as D4vd, Los Angeles County prosecutors revealed that investigators discovered a “significant amount” of child pornography on the artist’s iPhone and iCloud account. The revelation came during a procedural hearing on Thursday, April 23, 2026, as both sides prepared for a high- stakes preliminary trial.
Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman made the disclosure while discussing the “voluminous” amount of digital evidence currently being processed by the Los Angeles Police Department. According to Silverman, the illicit materials were uncovered through search warrants and a wiretap authorized during the seven-month investigation into the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. While the prosecutor did not specify whether the imagery involved Hernandez, she confirmed that the digital cache is a central component of the ongoing prosecution.
The 21-year-old Burke, who appeared in court wearing an orange jail jumpsuit and shackles, sat impassively as the new details were read into the record. He has already pleaded not guilty to a slate of severe charges, including first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a minor, and mutilation of human remains. Prosecutors allege that Burke murdered Hernandez on or around April 23, 2025, exactly one year ago today, to prevent her from exposing their illegal sexual relationship and damaging his rising musical career.
The courtroom update coincided with the release of Hernandez’s long-awaited autopsy report. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed on Wednesday that the teenager died from “multiple penetrating injuries” to her torso. The report also detailed the gruesome condition of her remains, which were found dismembered and badly decomposed in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke in September 2025.
Burke’s defense team, led by attorney Blair Berk, indicated they are still pushing for an immediate preliminary hearing despite the massive influx of data, which reportedly includes up to 40 terabytes of information. Berk has maintained that the evidence will eventually clear her client, previously stating that “David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez.”
Judge Charlaine Olmedo has scheduled a follow-up status conference for April 29 to oversee the production of evidence, with the first day of the preliminary hearing set for May 1, 2026. As the investigation continues to unfold, the discovery of the digital materials on Burke’s devices adds a new layer of legal peril for the artist, who faces a potential death sentence if convicted of the capital charges.
