US prosecutors said a "significant amount" of child sex abuse images have been recovered during an investigation into the singer D4vd, who has denied murdering a 14-year-old girl.
More details of the alleged offences emerged at a court hearing in California on Thursday, just days after the 21-year-old, whose real name is David Burke, pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.
The body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 14, from Lake Elsinore in California, was found in two bags in his Tesla that had been towed from the Hollywood Hills while he was on tour.
On Thursday, prosecutors outlined how the investigation was progressing, stating that a "significant amount" of child sex abuse images were found on his iCloud storage account.
"Today it's been exactly one year since the death of Celeste... We're eager to set this case for trial," deputy district attorney Beth Silverman told the court.
She said the evidence includes the contents of his phone and iCloud accounts, items seized from many search warrants and a huge amount of forensic material.
The prosecution has claimed Burke had been sexually abusing Celeste Rivas Hernandez for at least a year, starting when she was 13.
It is alleged that he killed her on or around 23 April 2025, after she threatened to report the relationship, and dismembered her body about two weeks later.
Burke arrived in a Los Angeles courtroom handcuffed and wearing orange jail clothes. The judge set out a four-to-five-day preliminary evidentiary hearing for 1 May.
He pleaded not guilty on Monday to first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14 and mutilating a dead body.
On Wednesday, the LA County medical examiner determined that the girl died from two penetrating wounds to her upper body, but investigators did not determine how she was injured.
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Her parents, Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, made their first public statement in the case on Tuesday, calling their daughter "a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance".
"All we want is justice for Celeste," they added.
In a rare move, the singer is exercising his right in California to have the preliminary evidence hearing within 10 court days of his initial court appearance, when the charges were disclosed.
The prosecution accepted it was working on an incredibly tight timeline for the hearing, which usually comes many months after defendants are arrested and charged.
Sky News' US partner NBC News reported that prosecutors are seeking three enhancements to the singer's murder charge: lying in wait, financial gain and murdering a witness to an investigation.
D4vd, pronounced "David" is known for his blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop and gained success with his 2022 hit "Romantic Homicide".
(c) Sky News 2026: 'Significant amount' of child abuse images recovered from iCloud account of US singer
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