US singer D4vd has been accused of having a significant amount of images depicting child sex abuse on his phone and iCloud account when he was arrested over the death of a 14-year-old girl found in his car, prosecutors say.
The discovery was made through search warrants in the case as police investigated how Celeste Rivas Hernandez died and ended up in the singer's Tesla, prosecutors said in court on Thursday.
Prosecutors allege D4vd repeatedly sexually abused the teen before killing and dismembering her body, which they say he did to protect his lucrative music career.
D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges in the case.
His attorneys have maintained they will vigorously defend David's innocence and said they believe the evidence will show that David did not kill Celeste.
The BBC has contacted Burke's attorneys about the allegations of him possessing material depicting child sex abuse and indecent images of children. The singer is not facing a criminal charge related to those new allegations.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner announced the teen's cause of death and released her autopsy report, confirming that Rivas Hernandez died by homicide from multiple penetrating injuries caused by an undisclosed object or objects. It confirmed her body had been dismembered and was heavily decomposed by the time she was found.
Burke's attorneys have pointed to the lack of an indictment, stating: There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed. David has only been detained under suspicion.
Rivas Hernandez's family has called for justice after expressing their profound love and grief over her death. The authorities continue to investigate, with court hearings scheduled in the upcoming weeks.
