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We're going to start things off with a trigger warning. Now, some of the reporting is disturbing that you're
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going to be listening to, but please watch and listen with care. >> Today, I am announcing the charges
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against David Anthony Burke, the musician known as David, spelled D4V D, in connection with the brutal and
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horrific murder of Celeste, a 14-year-old at that time. >> That was Los Angeles County District
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Attorney Nathan Hochman announcing the charges against 21-year-old singer-songwriter David Anthony Burke.
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He goes by the stage name David for the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Riveras Hernandez. The District Attorney calls
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this case a parent's nightmare and says there is significant physical, forensic,
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and digital evidence tying David to the crime. David Burke has pleaded not guilty to
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all of the charges. He has denied any wrongdoing. His legal team released a statement, and this is what they said.
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"Let us be clear. The actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did
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not murder Celeste Riveras Hernandez, and he was not the cause of her death." I'm 48 Hours correspondent Natalie
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Morales, and this is Case by Case, where each week the team here from 48 Hours, we bring you the biggest stories in true
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crime in real time. And with me now to discuss the latest legal details in the charges against
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David Burke is CBS Chief Correspondent Matt Gutman, who's been covering this case from when it first broke back in
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September. Good to see you again, Matt. >> Hey, good to be with you again, Natalie.
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>> So, Matt, give us the play-by-play here legally. Where is this case right now?
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>> I mean, when we're talking about play-by-play, it's literally playing out right now. As we are recording this,
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we're in the midst of a preliminary hearing, and so what does that actually mean? Okay, so
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a judge needs to determine whether there is enough evidence against David to move
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forward with the case. And here's the basic crux of the charges. First-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a
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child under the age of 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. Now, the medical examiner just released
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or we should say was allowed to release a report determining that this was a homicide, specifically noting that
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Celeste died by multiple penetrating injuries caused by an object. It's believed that it was some sort of a
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sharp object. At David's arraignment, which happened on Monday, his defense team asked for this hearing to take
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place as soon as possible, despite the fact that the prosecution says that it had 40 terabytes of discovery to give
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them. That's where we are right now. >> 40 terabytes of discovery, that tells me
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that they've been working on this case for quite a while, and they have a lot of information. So, the investigation
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into David, though, it really started with the discovery of Celeste, her decomposing body in his Tesla, in the
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front trunk. And it's so horrific, it is so graphic. It's very disturbing. I mean, is it believed then that Celeste
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ran away from her family to go meet him and to go live with him? >> So, Celeste's family reported her as
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missing in April of 2024. This hadn't been the first time in the past she disappeared, but she'd returned
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home. Um but a year passes since Celeste's family filed their last missing person's report.
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And in September 2025, employees in a tow yard, they noticed this really foul smell, and
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eventually they found a car, and inside was a severely decomposed and dismembered body.
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And it was later identified as Celeste. I I sitting in the bureau watching this unfold because there were helicopters
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over it watching the work that they were doing. We weren't quite sure what was going on.
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But something was clearly found in this Tesla in this tow yard. And lots of people in LA were seeing it
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unfold live. >> It's just so awful. I mean hearing that and and you know, thinking about what
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her parents, you know, how they were told and hearing all of these details about how their daughter was found. The
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question I have though, I mean this car found in this Hollywood tow lot. Um of course it's registered to David.
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It's going to lead right back to him. He has denied any wrongdoing, but you know,
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why did it take now more than 7 months to get to this point where they charge him now?
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>> It was pretty quick that we learned that it was his car. Um so his name was out there early on.
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But again, the manner of death took a while to get to. And I think for most intense purposes the DA's
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office was keeping their cards very close to the vest. They were probably trying to protect witnesses, trying to
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protect evidence that might have come out. And this is a high-profile case. We're talking about
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a musician who is exploding online, who's doing a a national tour, going abroad, very very popular. Uh and they
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were trying to do all they could to protect their case. >> I'm sure that they were building in that
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time as much evidence as they could to make this arrest, right? >> You know, this this this is something
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that I think the press has asked for from the very start. We were curious about the manner of death and typically
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the medical examiner's report will be released. It wasn't in this case. In fact, the
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LAPD initiated a a court order preventing the medical examiner from releasing its findings.
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Um and you know, I I just want to read to you this quote from the press release from the chief medical examiner because
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clearly there was very significant tension between the medical examiner, the LAPD, and the DA. So, this is what
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they wrote, quote, "It is unfathomable that they've had to wait the family had to wait this long to
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learn what happened to their daughter. The transparency of the information contained in our findings and reports is
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essential for empowering the community to make informed changes to actively reduce fear and allowing the community
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to take informed action. This is the public's right to know, and the medical examiner, in an extraordinary, I mean,
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I've never seen something like this, report, actually points a finger at the LAPD for not allowing this information
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to come out. So, the information in that report says basically two penetrating wounds of
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the torso and a wound to the upper abdomen. Obviously, of course, Celeste's body was mutilated.
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>> Oh, gosh. And And again, I go back to what Celeste's family was was feeling and hearing all of this information.
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They, in fact, have since now spoken and have shared that these findings have caused them profound emotional pain, as
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you would expect. >> It has. And, you know, during the arraignment on Monday, they were in
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attendance, but uh they've said that they're not going to be there at the preliminary hearing. It
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It It's just too painful for them, I think. >> Yeah, I can only imagine. >> [music]
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>> Let's talk about the popularity of of David as a musician. I mean, as you alluded to, he was very successful. Just
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21 years old, and, you know, I mean, the the number of hits and uh streaming views and listeners, it's I mean, this
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guy's career was on the rise when this happened. >> Um clearly a very, very talented young
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individual and he gained a lot of attention online as a teenager by posting montages of himself playing
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Fortnite. Um, he claims he got into creating original music as a way to avoid copyright claims when
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soundtracking his montages, which is very very interesting and indicative of this young man's talent.
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>> Yeah, and and just looking at all of his accolades, you know, his on Spotify, I
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mean, he's released two EPs, >> Yeah. >> several several singles, a full album from 2021 to 2025. I mean, he's had a
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billions of streams at this point. Um, and 3.6 million followers on Tik Tok. He worked with Fortnite to produce their
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official 2025 anthem Locked and Loaded. You know, just going through his music and some of the videos that he's
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released, um, the one that caught my attention and a lot of people's as well, especially now in hindsight, is Romantic
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Homicide, you know, terrible title given the circumstances. The video shows him though as a character. He has I read one
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of his interviews. He He says he was inspired by anime. This was sort of a character of his. It was his
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inspiration, and it's his alter ego. And you see in that video this character holding a bloody knife. There was a
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young woman. I mean, it's jarring seeing some of that now. >> I mean, obviously David is presumed
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innocent until proven guilty, but it's not a great look. >> Yeah. >> It you know, it's not a great look,
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especially since he also produced a song called Celeste, uh, and the combination
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of these two things certainly has raised a a lot of scrutiny. >> You know, it sounds like this
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relationship though was pretty well known. It was documented, uh, and and people in Celeste's life apparently knew
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about it. They even had, you know, unfortunately when they discovered in the autopsy, you know, this tattoo that
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says shh, and they both had these tattoos. Hers on her index finger on her right index finger. So,
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it seems like, you know, they were together and people knew about it. >> You know, her family was aware that she
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knew David. Celeste's brother told um NBC LA that when she disappeared, she was on her way to see a movie with David
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and court documents say that she lived with David in Los Angeles. Now, at this point, prosecutors allege that the
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sexual abuse began in 2023 when she had just turned 13 13. >> I and I think a lot of people at home
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probably asking themselves, so why now? I mean, she was reported missing multiple times.
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She's a minor. He is a legal adult. So, her sexual abuse, according to the DA, I
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mean, was that being investigated that far back while she was still alive? >> I think at this point, Natalie, we could
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say pretty much categorically that no, there is no indication that her specific case was
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being investigated at the time. But, the LAPD says that they only learned that there was a sexual relationship after
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the death investigation was underway. >> Mhm. So, this brings us now to to the arrest.
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>> Yeah, April 16th, you know, LAPD flooded the streets of Hollywood Hills. Um this is LA's
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prized and highly regarded robbery homicide division and they moved in to execute the case and they've been on
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case pretty much from the start. And um the DA reminds us that this investigation is still ongoing. Um but
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the DA so far has expressed confidence that they will be able to prove the charges
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and that their evidence will hold up in court. >> Yeah, let let's talk a little bit about
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these charges because in a case that is so heinous, there are special circumstances attached to this
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first-degree murder charge. For our listeners not familiar with that as a legal term, explain what that means.
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>> These special circumstances in the case elevate a first-degree murder charge to
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a higher level of severity, meaning if convicted, David could either spend the rest of his life in prison without
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the possibility of parole or if the DA so chooses, they can go for the death penalty.
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>> Mhm. >> Obviously very hard in California to do. And the DA said that at some point in
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the near future, they will decide about that death penalty. >> And and let's break down what these
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special circumstances are. >> Okay. So, the the special circumstances here, there are three of them. And I'm just
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going to read, you know, there's murder of a witness, that's one. Murder for financial gain, two. And lying in wait,
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and >> Mhm. >> the murder for financial gain and witness, these two go hand in hand.
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Basically, the state is trying to claim that Celeste was killed in order to prevent her from speaking about her
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sexual relationship. Let's take a listen to Hackman here. >> As the evidence will show in court, the
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financial gain was for Mr. Beard to maintain his very lucrative music musical career
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that Celeste was threatening on that particular night. >> So, interesting. He's releasing some
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detail here. The DA mentioning that Celeste was threatening to ruin David's career on that particular night. Is
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there evidence then that she was able to speak up to police or or to go public in some way about the nature of
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their relationship? >> You you know, we just don't know at this point, Natalie. Um that's what DA
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Hackman seems to be [music] implying. >> As for the lying in wait charge, I know
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you asked District Attorney Hackman about that. Let's play a clip. >> The essence of a lying in wait special
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circumstance that we've um charged in conne- in connection with the first-degree murder charge uh is that he
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invited Celeste to his Hollywood Hills home on or about April 23rd of 2025. Uh and he invited her ultimately
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with the idea that he was going to murder her. >> You're saying it was premeditated that
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he knew he was going to murder her on that day and that you have evidence to prove that.
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>> Yes, we will prove beyond a reasonable doubt in a courtroom that the first-degree murder charge which
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requires premeditation in order for us to meet the elements of that charge that occurred on the night
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in which the individual known as David murdered Celeste. >> So in a case like this, prosecutors
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typically don't move until they believe that they have proof beyond a reasonable
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doubt and a clear timeline. Obviously, DA Hackman believes that they have reached that bar
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uh but we haven't seen it yet. Neither has the public. >> Um this leads us to David's preliminary
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hearing. It's actually happening right now as we speak. Can you give us a little bit of the behind-the-scenes look
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at what's happening there? >> You know, I've been speaking to legal analysts about this and what they're
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saying is that the defense right now is essentially calling the prosecutors bluff.
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We heard early in the week the defense wanted this hearing to happen as soon as possible fully knowing that the
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prosecution probably wasn't going to be able to have everything that it wanted to prepare. So
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they are playing a I guess a form of legal chicken here. Now, the defense says that there is not evidence against
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David for these charges. They have been adamant he did not commit murder. He is not involved in her death. What they
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want is for him to be released on bail. So far the judge denied bail. Prosecution warned they have 40
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terabytes of evidence and this is kind of a warning in some ways, too, because that's saying, "Oh,
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you guys want evidence? We got evidence." >> The prosecution also revealed that David's iPhone apparently contained a
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significant amount of child pornography. The defense is, meanwhile, asked the judge to move the hearing now to next
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week, which, you know, it appears the judge agreed to that as well. So, it seems the there's been a continuation in
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this preliminary hearing. And Celeste's family, where are they in all of this? >> I mean, obviously broken.
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Um you know, seeing their faces is obviously very hard. Um their lawyers made it clear that they
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are very private. I think many, many media outlets have tried to reach out to them.
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Um and her parents released the first statement since the arrest earlier this week, and
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uh I'll read a portion of it. Um it says, "Celeste was a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance. Every
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Friday night was movie night, and we spent wonderful times together. We love her very much, and she always
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told us that she loved us. We miss her deeply. All we want is justice for Celeste."
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>> It's it's just such a tragic case and and story, but it is this family's life
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now. Um again, David is denying any wrongdoing, but um this is going to be uh clearly something
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that will parents listening to, watching will be wanting to hear more about how this all could happen.
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>> It it's just beyond imagination. Um so, yeah. Uh this is a very dark case, and it's
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probably going to take some time to play out, and it will be in the headlines from now until I assume long after this
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case is is completely wrapped up. >> We are, of course, going to continue to follow this developing story. As new
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information is being released, we'll bring it to you. And again, Matt, thank you for being uh you know, the person
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there [music] on the doing all the work for us here and and making it easier. >> Yeah, thanks for having me again.
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>> We will be back next week with another episode of Case [music] by Case. Be sure
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to rate and review and let us know which cases you are following. >> [music]