As part of ongoing investigations in the case of the first-degree murder of 13-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, prosecutors allege that popular-gamer-turned-singer, D4vd, was found in possession of “significant amounts” of child pornography. This is as the artist is currently regarded as the prime suspect in the case. This evidence forms part of a broader pattern of alleged abuse that occurred before Celeste’s disappearance and death.

Prosecutors allege that the abuse began as far back as September 2023, when Celeste was 13. At that time, her family reported her missing. However, she reportedly appeared backstage at his shows, and he was photographed near her home at Lake Elsinore. They also claim that it was because she threatened to expose him that he allegedly killed her. Two days before D4vd dropped his debut album, Withered, on April 25, 2025, 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez reportedly walked into his Hollywood Hills home and never left.

Months later, on September 8, 2025, officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) responded to a "foul odor” in the back of a Tesla belonging to D4vd, and found Celeste's dismembered remains inside two black bags, culminating in his arrest on April 16, 2026. He is also charged with first-degree murder and mutilation of human remains. 

California's Penal Code Section 190.2 lists special circumstances that transform murder into an offence that warrants the death penalty. Burke is facing three of them: lying in wait, murder for financial gain, and killing a witness to prevent testimony. Any one of those alone means life without parole. The office of the District Attorney hasn't ruled out seeking the death penalty. The sexual abuse charge under Penal Code Section 288.5 carries 6 to 16 years on its own. The federal CSAM charges, if filed, carry mandatory minimums of 5 to 20 years per count. The mutilation charge adds up to 8 more.

D4vd's attorneys say the evidence will prove he had nothing to do with Celeste's death. It then falls on the prosecution to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The defence will likely point to severely decomposed remains, an unclear timeline, and the possibility of third-party involvement. Whether that holds against digital evidence, witness testimony, and what authorities found in that Tesla is a different question entirely. More details are expected to come out by May 1, 2026.

D4vd's case forms part of a larger network of cases involving crimes committed by celebrities. This kind cannot be committed by an ordinary individual without resources (influence, money, fame and prestige). It further asks those in the aristocratic or bourgeois class what exactly people of their calibre desire that they do not already have. Because what prosecutors are describing in this case isn't desperation but access, the kind that can only be bought by fame. That can keep a 14-year-old girl within reach of someone who allegedly had every reason to know better and chose otherwise.

If a celebrity, who is held to a higher standard due to their societal status, still believes in engaging in anything remotely touching on sexual relations with a minor, it means that the structures of accountability and higher moral standards that this category of people preach are a facade. However, as it usually is, it is up to the courts to decide. 

iG:@muyiwavstheopp