The cell phone of David Anthony Burke, better known as the singer D4vd, contained “numerous indecent images of children,” a prosecutor said in court Thursday morning.
Los Angeles County deputy. He said. Beth Silverman made the comments as the court scheduled a first-degree murder trial for the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 14. The photos were revealed as part of a broader series of search warrants executed on Burke’s phone and iCloud account, Silverman said.
Burke’s attorneys maintain his innocence and want his trial to begin next week, meaning evidence in the closely watched case could come to light as early as May 1. He appeared in court Thursday wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and worked in court with his hands in his pockets.
A hearing has been set for April 29. Silverman and a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office declined to comment outside court.
The singer’s lawyer, Blair Berk, declined to comment.
A spokesperson for the DA’s office declined to reveal whether the child sexual abuse material allegedly found on Burke’s phone was related to Hernandez or another victim.
Burke was arrested by Los Angeles police last week and charged Monday with murder, aggravated child sexual abuse and mutilation, according to a criminal complaint. He pleaded not guilty.
Defendants have the right to a trial, where a judge decides whether prosecutors have enough evidence to bring the case to trial, within 10 business days. But Berk’s push to go faster is unusual. He told Silverman publicly about needing access to other findings, and the medical examiner’s report detailing how Hernandez died was not made public until Wednesday.
Silverman said police have collected “40 terabytes” of digital evidence in the case, which has made uploading and transferring material to the defense difficult. Silverman also said that police conducted a wiretap operation in the case, but did not disclose the nature of it. The veteran prosecutor said even he “never found anything” about the operation.
He also confirmed that prosecutors called three secret trials after Hernandez’s death – two in November and December 2025 and one in February. Those were grand jury inquests, meaning prosecutors could use them to testify against Burke, but they couldn’t use the case to find Burke guilty. The transcripts from all three hearings will also need to be sealed.
LA County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo also warned Berk that if he wants a speedy trial, he may not have access to all the evidence before May 1.
Silverman also seems determined to file this case as quickly as possible. Silverman noted Thursday marks one year since prosecutors believe Hernandez was killed, and said he intended to put the case before a judge within 60 days of the conclusion of the hearing.
The singer allegedly began sexually abusing Hernandez in September 2023, when he was only 13 years old.
Hernandez was reported missing from her Lake Elsinore home three times in 2024, and was seen at other D4vd concerts during that time.
Prosecutors say Hernandez was last seen at Burke’s residence in the Hollywood Hills on April 23. “He threatened to expose her criminal behavior and destroy her music career,” according to LA County Dist. He said. Nathan Hochman, although the prosecutor has not yet answered questions about whether Hernandez would have reported Burke to the police.
Burke rose to fame after one of his tracks was featured in the wildly popular video game “Fortnite,” and has collaborated with artists such as 21 Savage. He was beginning a tour in support of his debut album, “Withered,” when reports emerged linking him to Hernandez’s death. He immediately canceled all shows.
The details of the crime echo some of the violent imagery associated with Burke’s songs. The Queens-born singer appeared in a music video filled with violent imagery: a young woman with an apparent stab wound to her chest lies on a bed as the singer hovers over her, blindfolded, her white shirt covered in blood. In another video, “One More Dance,” D4vd pulls a person — like a singer — into a car, where the couple shoves a person into the dirt.
Hernandez’s badly decomposed body was found in the trunk of a Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard last September. An autopsy report released this week revealed that he died from stab wounds to the chest and abdomen. When police arrived at the scene, they found Hernandez’s body “mutilated” and two of his fingers had been cut off, according to the coroner’s report.
Prosecutors have charged Burke with aggravated murder, including allegations that Hernandez was a witness to the crime – his sexual assault – and that Burke killed him for financial gain to protect his high-profile music career. If convicted as charged, he faces up to life in prison without parole or the death penalty. Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to seek the death penalty in the case.
