Singer D4vd's phone contained a "significant" amount of child porn, prosecutors alleged at a hearing on Thursday after he was charged with murder.
D4vd, real name David Anthony Burke, was charged with first degree murder over the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 14 on April 20.
Prosecutor Beth Silverman told the court there was "40 terabytes" of evidence in the case, preventing it from being publicly presented as Mr Burke's attorneys have pushed for.
The alt-pop singer has pleaded not guilty, with his attorneys stating "actual evidence" will show he did not kill Ms Rivas.
The sensitive nature of the evidence, which includes child porn recovered on the 21-year-old's iCloud account, has added additional complications to presenting it.
Ms Silverman said the evidence included contents from the singer's phone, items seized from search warrants, and a huge amount of forensic material.
It is unclear if pictures of Ms Rivas are included among the photos.
"He had an iPhone and it contained a significant amount of child pornography and, under the law, child porn cannot be obtained without certain precautions in place," Ms Silverman told the court.
Prosecutors said singer D4vd's phone contained child porn within its 40 terabytes of evidence
| REUTERSShe added that a specific computer in the DA's office will be used to handle child porn evidence.
Defending, Marilyn Bednarski, said she was not expecting to retrieve all of the evidence in the case immediately.
Ms Rivas's dead body was found in a Tesla registered in Mr Burke's Texas address seven months ago, but he was not arrested until last week.
Mr Burke was formally charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous lewd acts with an individual under 14 and mutilating human remains of a body.
LATEST ON THE D4VD CASE:
Celeste Rivas Hernandez's body was found in a Tesla seven months ago
|REUTERS
Her autopsy revealed stab wounds to her chest and abdomen - one of which penetrated her liver.
Her ring and pinky finger were mutilated and blue plastic was embedded in some of her wounds.
Ms Rivas was first reported missing by her family in 2024, with prosecutors claiming she a victim of sexual abuse by Mr Burke from September 2023 to September 2024.
Los Angeles County prosecutors alleged the singer killed Ms Rivas after she threatened to report their relationship.
A tribute for Celeste Rivas Hernandez in California
|REUTERS
The special circumstances for the crime include allegation Mr Burke was "lying in wait" and committed the crime to protect his "lucrative" musical career, and murdering a witness in an investigation.
Authorities said Rivas was killed at Mr Burke's Hollywood house around April 23, 2025, and he mutilated her body two weeks later.
The California charges carry a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
Mr Burke, performing as D4vd, first gained popularity in 2022 where his songs Romantic Homicide and Here With Me rose in popularity, eventually leading to a record deal.
Mr Burke was on tour for his full-length album when the teenager's body was found.