David Burke, the 21-year-old music artist known as D4vd, appeared in a Los Angeles County courtroom this week as prosecutors disclosed new evidence they say includes images of child sexual abuse found during their investigation into the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Burke has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and related charges. His defense team insists the evidence will clear him.
The court appearance marked the latest turn in a case that has drawn national attention since Burke's arrest in the Hollywood Hills on a probable cause warrant. The Sun reported that prosecutors revealed the alleged child sexual abuse material during the hearing, adding a new dimension to a prosecution already built on allegations of sexual abuse, murder, and dismemberment.
The stakes could not be higher for Burke. If convicted, he faces the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman has laid out a grim timeline. Prosecutors allege Burke began sexually abusing Celeste Rivas Hernandez when she was 13 years old. The abuse allegedly continued until April 23, 2025, the last day anyone heard from the girl.
Breitbart reported that prosecutors said Celeste went to Burke's house in the Hollywood Hills on that date. Hochman put it bluntly in a public statement:
"Celeste, a 14-year-old at that time, went to Mr. Burke's house in the Hollywood Hills. She was never heard from again."
Prosecutors allege that when the teenager threatened to expose the sexual relationship and the damage it would cause to Burke's music career, he killed her. Hochman described the alleged sequence in stark terms:
"When she threatened to expose his criminal conduct and devastate his musical career, Burke allegedly murdered her, cut up her body and stuffed her body in two bags that were placed in the front trunk of his car."
The case bears the hallmarks of other high-profile murder prosecutions involving public figures, including the life sentence handed to former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini for killing his father-in-law near Lake Tahoe.
Celeste's remains were not discovered for nearly five months after she allegedly went missing. On September 8, 2025, authorities found her dismembered and decomposed body inside a Tesla registered to Burke. The vehicle had been impounded after someone reported it abandoned.
Newsmax reported that Burke was not arrested until seven months after the remains were found. LAPD took him into custody in the Hollywood Hills, and he has been held without bail while the Los Angeles District Attorney's Major Crimes Division reviewed the evidence.
Prosecutors ultimately filed charges of first-degree murder with special-circumstance allegations. They also charged Burke with lewd acts with a child under 14 and mutilating a body. CLN previously covered Burke's initial arrest and the discovery of Celeste's remains in his Tesla.
A sealed autopsy report, recently made public, filled in critical forensic details. The Associated Press reported that the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner found Celeste died from penetrating wounds to her upper body, including injuries to her liver and ribs. The manner of death was officially ruled a homicide.
The report had been sealed for months before its release. LA County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Odey C. Ukpo addressed the delay in a public statement:
"After several months, I am grateful this information can now be released, not only to the public, but also to the grieving family enduring loss."
The forensic findings give prosecutors a concrete cause of death to present at trial. Penetrating wounds to the torso, combined with injuries to internal organs, point to a violent attack rather than an accident or natural cause. These details will likely anchor the prosecution's case when it reaches a jury.
The courtroom disclosure of alleged child sexual abuse images represents a significant escalation. Prosecutors introduced the material during Burke's latest court appearance, though investigators have not publicly detailed how many images were found, where they were stored, or whether additional charges related to the images are forthcoming.
The revelation compounds an already severe set of allegations. Burke already faces a charge of lewd acts with a child under 14, tied to the alleged sexual relationship with Celeste that prosecutors say began when she was 13. The alleged abuse images, if admitted at trial, could reinforce the prosecution's theory of motive: that Burke killed Celeste to prevent her from exposing conduct that would have destroyed his career and triggered criminal liability.
Cases involving alleged child exploitation by public figures have drawn increasing scrutiny. In another entertainment-world criminal matter, Australian police opened an investigation into Katy Perry after a sexual assault complaint, underscoring how criminal allegations against celebrities can reshape public perception overnight.
Burke's legal team has mounted an aggressive public defense. Lead attorney Blair Berk stated plainly at the not-guilty plea:
"We believe the actual evidence will show David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez."
His attorneys expanded on that position in a statement provided to People magazine: "Let us be clear: the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death." Fox News reported on the not-guilty plea and the defense team's posture.
The defense has not publicly offered an alternative theory of how Celeste died or how her remains ended up in a vehicle registered to Burke. Investigators have not disclosed whether any other suspects were considered or ruled out during the seven months between the discovery of the body and Burke's arrest.
Celeste's parents, Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, have spoken publicly about their grief and their demand for accountability. When Burke was arrested, Jesus Rivas issued a brief statement through TMZ:
"Thank God... justice for Celeste."
The family later released a joint statement: "All we want is justice for Celeste." Their words carry the weight of parents who spent months not knowing what happened to their daughter, followed by the horror of learning how she was allegedly found.
The case echoes the visceral public grief seen in other child murder prosecutions, such as the capital murder guilty plea by a FedEx driver who killed 7-year-old Athena Strand during a Christmas delivery route.
Burke remains in custody without bail. The special-circumstance allegations attached to the murder charge mean prosecutors could seek the death penalty. Authorities have not publicly stated whether they intend to pursue that option or whether plea negotiations have begun.
Investigators will need to determine the full scope of the alleged child sexual abuse material, whether it connects to additional victims, and how it fits into the broader evidentiary picture at trial. The sealed autopsy report is now public, but other investigative materials remain under wraps. Prosecutors and defense attorneys will battle over what evidence reaches the jury and what gets excluded.
Pretrial proceedings will shape whether the alleged abuse images, the lewd-acts charge, and the dismemberment evidence all come before the same jury or get handled separately. Each decision carries enormous weight for both sides.
When a 14-year-old girl vanishes and her dismembered body turns up months later in a celebrity's car, the system owes her family more than headlines. It owes them a prosecution that holds up and a courtroom that does not flinch.
