Latest / Crime Stories with Nancy Grace / D4vd Fires High-Profile Defense Team in Tesla Trunk Murder Case | Crime Alert 09.01.26

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D4vd Fires High-Profile Defense Team in Tesla Trunk Murder Case | Crime Alert 09.01.26 · Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

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  Speaker 1: Crime Alert, hourly update, breaking crime news now.
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  Speaker 2: I'm Sydney Silvani. A stunning turn of events in a
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  Speaker 2: Los Angeles courtroom Monday as 21-year-old singer David Anthony Burke,
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  Speaker 2: known as David, returned for his arraignment. Burke unexpectedly fired
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  Speaker 2: his high-profile legal team, led by attorney Blair Burke, telling
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  Speaker 2: Judge Charlene Olmedo he wished to be represented by public
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  Speaker 2: defender Waleed Kandil instead. Judge Olmedo granted the request after
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  Speaker 2: determining Burke qualified for appointed counsel. In a statement, Attorney
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  Speaker 2: Burke expressed ongoing support, noting they are grateful the Public
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  Speaker 2: Defender's Office has taken over his representation with a capable team.
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  Speaker 2: This dramatic shift comes during what was expected to be
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  Speaker 2: a routine hearing in a murder case that has sent
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  Speaker 2: shockwaves through the music industry. Burke entered a plea of
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  Speaker 2: not guilty to charges of murder, lewd and lascivious acts
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  Speaker 2: with a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains,
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  Speaker 2: alongside special circumstance allegations that he murdered a witness, killed
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  Speaker 2: for financial gain, and lay in wait. The case centers
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  Speaker 2: on the gruesome death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Electronic
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  Speaker 2: records show Celeste was 11 when she began communicating online
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  Speaker 2: with Burke, who was living in Houston making Fortnite videos.
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  Speaker 2: Prosecutors allege their relationship turned physical in late 2023 after
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  Speaker 2: Burke moved to Los Angeles, becoming sexual in 2024 when
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  Speaker 2: Celeste was 13. By spring 2025, the relationship grew fraught
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  Speaker 2: as Celeste threatened to expose Burke after discovering he was
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  Speaker 2: seeing other women. Fearing the disclosure would destroy his music career,
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  Speaker 2: Burke allegedly lured Celeste on April 23, 2025, to a
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  Speaker 2: rented home in the Hollywood Hills. where he stabbed her
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  Speaker 2: to death and dismembered her body in the garage. On
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  Speaker 2: September 8, 2025, her decomposing remains were discovered inside the
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  Speaker 2: front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke at a
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  Speaker 2: Hollywood tow lot. Burke was arrested April 26, 2026, and
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  Speaker 2: remains jailed without bail. District Attorney Nathan Hotchman spoke outside
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  Speaker 2: the downtown courthouse regarding the defense transition.
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  Speaker 1: As soon as the defense announces ready to proceed, the
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  Speaker 1: DA's office is ready to proceed. But very often in
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  Speaker 1: these cases, a new lawyer will take additional time to
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  Speaker 1: review all the evidence in the case in order to
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  Speaker 1: make sure that that new lawyer is ready to proceed.
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  Speaker 1: That may or may not happen in this case. What
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  Speaker 1: also may or may not happen is that that new
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  Speaker 1: attorney will evaluate the evidence presented during the preliminary hearing.
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  Speaker 1: and they can file a motion to dismiss one or
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  Speaker 1: all three of the charges based on legal grounds. We
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  Speaker 1: don't know at this time if that will happen as well.
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  Speaker 2: Hotchman went on to detail the pending decision regarding potential
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  Speaker 2: capital punishment in the case.
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  Speaker 1: The last thing that will have to be decided, and
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  Speaker 1: that's a decision by myself as the district attorney, is
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  Speaker 1: whether or not we'll be seeking the death penalty in
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  Speaker 1: this case. We had invited David Anthony Burke's prior counsel
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  Speaker 1: to submit what's called a mitigation packet to the district
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  Speaker 1: attorney's office for consideration. A mitigation packet are factors that
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  Speaker 1: we are to consider why we should not bring the
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  Speaker 1: death penalty in this case. We had not received that
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  Speaker 1: mitigation packet as of today.
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  Speaker 2: Burke's next status hearing is set for October 19th with
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  Speaker 2: a trial expected within 90 days of that hearing. More
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  Speaker 2: crime and justice news after this. In Oklahoma, 35-year-old Ryan
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  Speaker 2: Basham of Tulsa turned himself in on Sunday, August 30th,
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  Speaker 2: after being charged with two counts of first-degree murder. According
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  Speaker 2: to court records, Basham, the owner of Solos Extracts LLC,
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  Speaker 2: was released after posting a $ 2 million bond. The charges
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  Speaker 2: follow a massive explosion just after 1 a.m. on Thursday
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  Speaker 2: at the Morrow Gill Business Complex in Sand Springs that
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  Speaker 2: was felt 30 to 40 miles away and damaged over
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  Speaker 2: 20 neighboring businesses. Emergency crews found worker Stephen Scott dead
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  Speaker 2: at the scene while Michael Newman was critically injured and
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  Speaker 2: later died. An affidavit reveals Newman told an EMT that
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  Speaker 2: the facility lacked adequate ventilation and exploded when he unplugged equipment.
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  Speaker 2: Investigative findings from the Oklahoma LP Gas Administration indicate the
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  Speaker 2: explosion resulted from an active illegal marijuana manufacturing operation using
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  Speaker 2: liquid propane brought in after a January inspection. Officials confirmed
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  Speaker 2: Basham lacked valid state medical marijuana licensing, resulting in charges
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  Speaker 2: for illegally manufacturing controlled dangerous substances. In Los Angeles, an
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  Speaker 2: 81-year-old mother had both legs amputated following a horrifying crash
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  Speaker 2: outside a Boyle Heights restaurant. On July 7th at around
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  Speaker 2: 3.30 p.m., Christina Vargas was enjoying lunch outside Los Cinco
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  Speaker 2: Puntos with her daughter Gabriela and a friend when an
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  Speaker 2: SUV plowed into them. Surveillance footage showed the vehicle veering
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  Speaker 2: onto the sidewalk into the outdoor dining area. Gabriela Vargas
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  Speaker 2: described the terrifying moment to KTLA.
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  Speaker 3: I remember I just heard screeching, like just screeching noises,
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  Speaker 3: and I was slowly lifting up my head. And as
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  Speaker 3: I was focusing, I just saw headlights and a bumper,
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  Speaker 3: and then I just heard a big boom. And then
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  Speaker 3: the next thing I knew, I know that I got airborne. Like,
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  Speaker 3: I felt it.
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  Speaker 2: The crash pinned Christina beneath the vehicle while Gabriella suffered
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  Speaker 2: a head injury and severe knee laceration. Though Gabriela and
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  Speaker 2: their friend recovered, Christina underwent three surgeries, resulting in double amputation.
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  Speaker 2: Despite her severe injuries, Christina remains positive in rehabilitation. Police
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  Speaker 2: confirmed the driver, who has not been named, was impaired
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  Speaker 2: and faces multiple felony charges, while a GoFundMe has raised
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  Speaker 2: over $ 30, 000 for Christina's ongoing care. For more crime and
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  Speaker 2: justice news, be sure to join us for Crime Stories
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  Speaker 2: with Nancy Grace on Fox One, YouTube, Sirius XM, and
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  Speaker 2: now streaming on Tubi. With this crime alert, I'm Sydney Silvani.