Copyright Men's Journal
Back in September, authorities made a grim discovery as they found the body of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas in the trunk of a vehicle belonging to 20-year-old singer D4vd. D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, has not been charged with a crime or even officially named as a suspect in her death, though there have been some apparent connections between him and the girl, and a private investigator recently made a “sadistic” discovery at the home where D4vd had been living. While D4vd is not yet facing any legal charges, that doesn’t mean he won’t at some point in the future, as authorities continue to try to piece together how Rivas died and how her body ended up in D4vd’s car. And as one legal expert explains, evidence like the tools found in his house could create a major problem for him if he does have to face a trial in the future. What We Know So Far A decomposing body was found inside a Tesla belonging to musician D4vd at an impound lot in Hollywood on Sept. 8. The car was brought to the impound lot after “someone reported it abandoned” in Hollywood Hills, and police were called after workers “reported a strong odor” coming from the Tesla. The Tesla was never reported as stolen. The body was discovered inside a bag in the Tesla’s front trunk. The remains were not intact and had badly decomposed. The remains were so decomposed that it took authorities more than a week to identify the body. The remains were eventually identified as 14-year-old Celeste Rivas. D4vd has a matching tattoo with Rivas, and her mother said she has been missing for over a year and that her daughter’s boyfriend was named David. D4vd initially decided to continue his world tour while cooperating with the investigation, but he cancelled the remainder of his tour on Wednesday. An unreleased love song written by D4vd references someone by the name of “Celeste” in the unfinished title and twice in the lyrics. Police raided a home connected to D4vd as they continue the investigation. D4vd moves out of the home that the police raided. Authorities have not officially deemed the death a homicide since medical examiners have been unable to determine an official cause of death. D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, is not considered a suspect at this point, though he has hired a high-profile defense attorney. A ‘Sadistic’ Discovery in D4vd’s House Private investigator Steve Fischer was hired by the owner of a Hollywood Hills home where D4vd had been living when the body was found in his Tesla. “He wants to understand exactly what may have happened and if his house played a role in any way,” Fischer told ABC Eyewitness News last week. Fischer recently had a chance to investigate the home. During that investigation, he claims he discovered some “farm” tools that did not belong in a Hollywood Hills home, and he believes these tools could be used to “get rid of a person.” “There were some items at the house that were still in their original manufacturing packaging that had been delivered that have no use in a home in the Hollywood Hills,” Fischer told Court TV during a recent interview. “These are items that belong more on a farm than in a home. It would make no sense to even own these things.” Without getting into specifics, Fischer said that his findings were “sadistic” in nature and went beyond simple tools. “People say, ‘Oh, it’s gotta be tools and stuff.’ It’s beyond that,” Fischer said. “It’s really sadistic stuff.” Not a Crime in Itself It’s worth noting that despite these findings in the home where he had been living, those items do not prove any wrongdoing by themselves, especially when authorities have not yet determined a cause of death and have not even labeled the case a homicide. “It’s not a crime to think about doing certain things, but we found some things that had been delivered to the house that just don’t belong there – don’t belong in any type of environment like that,” Fischer said. “I think it does show that there was some intent,” Fischer added. Expert Weighs In While D4vd’s apparent connections to Rivas and the items found at his house are not crimes and don’t prove that he was guilty of any crime, they do certainly look suspicious, which could be a problem for D4vd if he does have to face trial. We recently spoke to prominent criminal defense attorney Michael J. Alber, who is not affiliated with the case, but offered his expertise and answered our questions on the matter. During our conversation, he explained that evidence like this could be a major problem for D4vd as he crafts his potential defense. For that reason, he thinks it was a “smart” move for the singer to hire a lawyer, even before he was charged with a crime, to help get ahead of anything that could “look bad” to a potential jury. Alber compared the situation to the high-profile murder case involving Casey Anthony, who was accused of murdering her daughter. “I think by him having an attorney and an investigative team that can help corroborate his steps, as well as making sure that if there’s something in his steps that might look bad, a la Casey Anthony, you know, out partying – on the dance floor or wherever she was – after she knows that her child is dead,” Alber said. “You know, that’s that’s conduct that a defense lawyer can seek to start to investigate and analyze before that hits.” It’s worth noting that we spoke to Alber before the “sadistic” discoveries in the house were made public, so he was simply referencing a hypothetical situation at the time. It’s not clear whether or not D4vd will be charged with a crime in Rivas’ death. However, it does seem like he’s getting ahead of things by assembling a defense team, even as evidence keeps coming out. At this point, though, D4vd is not yet even a suspect in her death.
