Latest / Crime Stories with Nancy Grace / Singer D4VD Charged in Teen Death | Crime Alert Recap Saturday 04.25.26
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Crime alart, hourly update, breaking crime news. Now, I'm Sidney
- 0:04Speaker 1: Silboni from the heights of TikTok stardom and billion stream
- 0:08Speaker 1: hits to a high security courtroom in Los Angeles. Today,
- 0:12Speaker 1: the music industry is reeling as one of its fastest
- 0:15Speaker 1: rising stars faces allegations of a crime so gruesome it
- 0:19Speaker 1: seems pulled from the lyrics of his own breakout hits.
- 0:22Speaker 1: Twenty one year old David Anthony Burke, known to millions
- 0:26Speaker 1: of fans globally as David, appeared in a Los Angeles
- 0:29Speaker 1: court Monday afternoon, arraigned on charges of first degree murder,
- 0:33Speaker 1: lewde and lascivious sexual acts with a child under fourteen
- 0:37Speaker 1: and the mutilation of a human body. The victim fourteen
- 0:40Speaker 1: year old Celeste Revas Hernandez. Her body was discovered last year,
- 0:44Speaker 1: dismembered and decaying in the trunk of a Tesla registered
- 0:48Speaker 1: to Burke. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hodgman laid
- 0:51Speaker 1: out the severity of the state's case.
- 0:53Speaker 2: Today, I am announcing the charges against David Anthony Burke,
- 0:58Speaker 2: the musician known as David spelled D four v D,
- 1:03Speaker 2: in connection with the brutal and horrific murder of Celeste,
- 1:08Speaker 2: a fourteen year old at that time. These charges include
- 1:12Speaker 2: the most serious charges that a DA's office can bring
- 1:16Speaker 2: that his first degree murder with special circumstances. The special
- 1:20Speaker 2: circumstances being lying in wait, committing this crime for financial gain,
- 1:25Speaker 2: or murdering a witness in an investigation.
- 1:28Speaker 1: Burg Is pleaded not guilty to all charges. He's currently
- 1:32Speaker 1: being held without bail, a decision finalized by the judge yesterday,
- 1:36Speaker 1: But the details emerging from the LAPD's Robbery Homicide Division
- 1:40Speaker 1: paint a chilling timeline that began over a year ago.
- 1:43Speaker 1: Celesterevas Hernandez was first reported missing in April twenty twenty
- 1:47Speaker 1: four from her home in Lake Elsinore. For months, her
- 1:50Speaker 1: family searched for answers while she was classified as a runaway.
- 1:54Speaker 1: It wasn't until September eighth, twenty twenty five that the
- 1:58Speaker 1: search ended in a North Hollywood in lot, A tesla
- 2:01Speaker 1: which had been abandoned on a Hollywood Hills street for weeks,
- 2:04Speaker 1: was towed after neighbors complained of a foul odor. When
- 2:07Speaker 1: investigators opened the fronk, the front trunk of the electric
- 2:11Speaker 1: vehicle they found two plastic bags. Inside The first was
- 2:15Speaker 1: a decomposed head and torso. The second contained further dismembered remains.
- 2:20Speaker 1: Forensics later confirmed the Nightmare it was Celeste. District Attorney
- 2:24Speaker 1: Hotchman alleges that Burke's motive was cold and calculated, a
- 2:28Speaker 1: desperate attempt to protect his lucrative career at Innerscope Records
- 2:32Speaker 1: from the fallout of his illegal relationship with the miner.
- 2:35Speaker 2: This murder was committed for financial gain, as the evidence
- 2:38Speaker 2: will show in court. The financial gain was for mister
- 2:42Speaker 2: Burke to maintain his very lucrative music musical career that
- 2:48Speaker 2: Celeste was threatening, in addition to lying in way and
- 2:51Speaker 2: for financial gain. Is murdering a witness to an investigation.
- 2:56Speaker 2: In this particular case, as the evidence will come out
- 2:59Speaker 2: in court, the witness to the investigation was celested, and
- 3:05Speaker 2: the investigation was into the lude and lascivious sexual acts
- 3:09Speaker 2: committed by mister Burke. It is a subject of count
- 3:12Speaker 2: two of this complaint with Celeste. While she was under
- 3:17Speaker 2: fourteen years old.
- 3:21Speaker 1: At the time those remains were found, Burke was in
- 3:23Speaker 1: the middle of a tour performing in Minneapolis. While the
- 3:26Speaker 1: tour was immediately canceled. Following the identification of the body.
- 3:30Speaker 1: It took months for the rest to be made. LAPD
- 3:34Speaker 1: Chief Jim McDonnell addressed the public's frustration with the timeline
- 3:37Speaker 1: on Monday.
- 3:38Speaker 3: The condition of her remains delayed the medical examiner's ability
- 3:41Speaker 3: to be able to determine cause of death. The substantial
- 3:45Speaker 3: amount of time that passed between her death and the
- 3:47Speaker 3: discovery meant that crucial evidence had degraded or disappeared, and
- 3:53Speaker 3: as detectives worked to uncover the truth, they also had
- 3:56Speaker 3: to sift through and debunk a great deal of false
- 3:59Speaker 3: and information circulating publicly. These challenges were real, and they
- 4:05Speaker 3: required patience, precision, and an unwavering commitment to the facts.
- 4:10Speaker 1: Burke was finally taken into custody this past Thursday at
- 4:13Speaker 1: a home in the Hollywood Hills. His defense team, however,
- 4:16Speaker 1: isn't backing down. In a formal statement, his attorneys claimed
- 4:20Speaker 1: they would vigorously defend Burke's innocence, explicitly stating that the
- 4:24Speaker 1: evidence will prove Burke was not the cause of celeste death.
- 4:28Speaker 1: Chief MacDonnell, however, says the timeline of her disappearance aligns
- 4:31Speaker 1: perfectly with her arrival at Burke's residence.
- 4:34Speaker 3: Miss Reeves was a reported runaway from Riverside County. During
- 4:38Speaker 3: the course of our investigation, detectives learned that she had
- 4:41Speaker 3: been involved in a sexual relationship with mister Burke when
- 4:45Speaker 3: she was a minor and he was an adult. On
- 4:48Speaker 3: April twenty third, twenty twenty five, Miss Reeves arrived at
- 4:51Speaker 3: mister Burke's home in the Hollywood Hills. That's the last
- 4:55Speaker 3: time she was known to be alive. On September eighth,
- 4:58Speaker 3: twenty twenty five, Miss Reas Savis's dismembered and badly decomposed
- 5:02Speaker 3: body was discovered in the front trunk of mister Burke's
- 5:06Speaker 3: impounded tesla.
- 5:08Speaker 1: As the case moves forward, the District Attorney's office is
- 5:10Speaker 1: weighing a heavy decision whether or not to pursue the
- 5:13Speaker 1: death penalty. If they decline, Burke still faces life in
- 5:17Speaker 1: prison without the possibility of parole. While the legal battle
- 5:21Speaker 1: is just beginning. For Celeste's family, the focus remains on
- 5:24Speaker 1: the girl behind the headlines. Their legal representatives stated they
- 5:28Speaker 1: are committing to ensuring Celeste's voice is heard. In his
- 5:31Speaker 1: closing remarks at the press conference, Da Hodgman reiterated his
- 5:35Speaker 1: promise to the Revus Hernandez family that the person responsible
- 5:39Speaker 1: for this brutal and horrific act would be held accountable.
- 5:42Speaker 2: What they have demanded, what we have assured them that
- 5:44Speaker 2: the District Attorney's office, working with LAPD, would give them
- 5:49Speaker 2: is the idea. Is he proof beyond a reasonable doubt
- 5:54Speaker 2: on who killed their daughter and bring that killer to justice.
- 5:59Speaker 1: On Wednesday, the Chief Medical Examiner, doctor Odei Ukpo, released
- 6:03Speaker 1: findings that have left the community reeling. Celeste died from
- 6:07Speaker 1: multiple penetrating injuries, possibly caused by multiple objects, with the
- 6:11Speaker 1: manner of death officially ruled a homicide. Doctor Ukpo expressed
- 6:16Speaker 1: the heavyweight of the investigation, stating it was unfathomable that
- 6:20Speaker 1: the grieving family had to wait seven months to learn
- 6:22Speaker 1: the specifics of their daughter's death. The report revealed she
- 6:26Speaker 1: suffered two deep wounds to her torso, including an injury
- 6:29Speaker 1: to her liver. Furthermore, toxicology reports showed presumptive positives for
- 6:34Speaker 1: benzo diazepines and methamphetamine in her system. Prosecutors alleged Celeste
- 6:39Speaker 1: was killed on April twenty third, but not dismembered for
- 6:42Speaker 1: more than a week. On May fifth. Her body was
- 6:45Speaker 1: so badly decomposed the medical examiner could not even confirm
- 6:49Speaker 1: her eye color. The man accused of this heinous act
- 6:52Speaker 1: as twenty one year old David Anthony Burke, known professionally
- 6:55Speaker 1: as David. He appeared in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom
- 6:58Speaker 1: on Monday, pleading no not guilty to all charges. He
- 7:02Speaker 1: is currently being held without bail. District Attorney Nathan Hodgman
- 7:05Speaker 1: has laid out a motive that is as cold as
- 7:07Speaker 1: the crime itself. Investigators believe Burke was in a long
- 7:11Speaker 1: term sexual relationship with Celeste while she was a miner
- 7:14Speaker 1: and he was an adult. When she allegedly threatened to
- 7:17Speaker 1: expose the relationship and jeopardize his lucrative music career. Prosecutors
- 7:22Speaker 1: say he lured her to his Hollywood Hills home and
- 7:25Speaker 1: killed her. DA Hotchman detailed the severity of the case
- 7:29Speaker 1: during a press conference on Monday.
- 7:31Speaker 2: These charges include the most serious charges that a DA's
- 7:34Speaker 2: office can bring, that his first degree murder with special circumstances.
- 7:40Speaker 2: The special circumstances being lying in wait, committing this crime
- 7:44Speaker 2: for financial gain, or murdering a witness in an investigation.
- 7:49Speaker 1: The financial gain mentioned by the DA refers to Burke's
- 7:52Speaker 1: desperate attempt to protect his entertainment empire.
- 7:55Speaker 2: This murder was committed for financial gain, as the evidence
- 7:59Speaker 2: will show in court. The financial gain was for mister
- 8:03Speaker 2: Burke to maintain his very lucrative musical career that Celeste
- 8:09Speaker 2: was threatening.
- 8:10Speaker 1: Celeste, who was a reported runaway from Lake Elsinore, was
- 8:14Speaker 1: last seen alive on April twenty third, twenty twenty five,
- 8:17Speaker 1: the very day tickets for Burke's world tour went on presale.
- 8:20Speaker 1: While the LAPD has faced criticism for the slow pace
- 8:23Speaker 1: of the investigation, police Chief Jim McDonald defended the timeline,
- 8:28Speaker 1: noting that the delay in finding her body made the
- 8:30Speaker 1: forensic work incredibly difficult.
- 8:32Speaker 3: The condition of her remains delayed the medical examiner's ability
- 8:36Speaker 3: to be able to determine cause of death.
- 8:38Speaker 1: McDonald further confirmed the nature of the relationship that set
- 8:42Speaker 1: this tragedy in motion.
- 8:43Speaker 3: Detectives learned that she had been involved in a sexual
- 8:46Speaker 3: relationship with mister Burke when she was a minor and
- 8:50Speaker 3: he was an adult.
- 8:51Speaker 1: Defense attorney Blair Burke has maintained Burke's innocence, stating in court, we.
- 8:56Speaker 2: Believe the actual evidence will show David Burke did.
- 8:59Speaker 1: Not under Celeste viavs.
- 9:02Speaker 2: Hernandez, nor was he the cause of her death.
- 9:05Speaker 1: A prosecutor alleged in court Thursday that twenty one year
- 9:08Speaker 1: old David Anthony Burke had a massive trove of child
- 9:12Speaker 1: sex abuse material on his phone. Burke is currently facing
- 9:15Speaker 1: charges of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under
- 9:19Speaker 1: the age of fourteen, and the unlawful mutilation of human
- 9:22Speaker 1: remains in connection with the death of fourteen year old
- 9:25Speaker 1: Celeste Revas Hernandez. Burke appeared before Judge Charlene Olnado wearing
- 9:30Speaker 1: an orange jumpsuit. Witnesses in the courtroom say he appeared
- 9:34Speaker 1: strangely detached, intermittently nodding and bobbing his head as the
- 9:38Speaker 1: proceedings began. The scale of this investigation is staggering. Deputy
- 9:42Speaker 1: District Attorney Beth Silverman revealed that the prosecution is currently
- 9:46Speaker 1: processing roughly forty terabytes of evidence. It was during this
- 9:50Speaker 1: discussion of discovery that Silverman dropped the bombshell allegation Burke's
- 9:54Speaker 1: phone contained what she described as a significant amount of
- 9:58Speaker 1: child pornography. The weight of the accusation. Burke reportedly showed
- 10:02Speaker 1: no visible reaction, staring straight ahead as the words echoed
- 10:06Speaker 1: through the court room. The timing of this hearing is
- 10:09Speaker 1: particularly somber, as yesterday marked exactly one year since the
- 10:13Speaker 1: date prosecutors believe Burke killed the young girl. Celeste. Dismembered
- 10:17Speaker 1: remains were eventually discovered in September twenty twenty five, hidden
- 10:21Speaker 1: in the trunk of Burke's impounded Tesla in the Hollywood Hills.
- 10:25Speaker 1: This week, her autopsy findings were finally unsealed, painting a
- 10:28Speaker 1: horrific picture of her final moments. The medical examiner ruled
- 10:32Speaker 1: the death a homicide caused by multiple penetrating injuries, specifically
- 10:37Speaker 1: noting two wounds to the torso, one that damaged her
- 10:40Speaker 1: liver and another that fractured her ribs. The motive, according
- 10:43Speaker 1: to District Attorney Nathan Hodgman, was silence. Hochman alleges that
- 10:47Speaker 1: Celeste was actually a witness to a separate investigation into
- 10:51Speaker 1: Burke's alleged sexual misconduct.
- 10:53Speaker 2: In this particular case, as the evidence will come out
- 10:56Speaker 2: in court in the witness to the investigationation was Celeste,
- 11:02Speaker 2: and the investigation was into the lude and lascivious sexual
- 11:06Speaker 2: acts committed by mister Burke, it is the subject of
- 11:10Speaker 2: count two of this complaint, with Celeste while she was
- 11:14Speaker 2: under fourteen years old.
- 11:16Speaker 1: According to the DA, burg feared his lucrative music career
- 11:19Speaker 1: would vanish if Celeste went to the authorities.
- 11:22Speaker 2: This murder was committed for financial gain, as the evidence
- 11:26Speaker 2: will show in court. The financial gain was for mister
- 11:29Speaker 2: Burke to maintain his very lucrative musical career that Celeste
- 11:36Speaker 2: was threatening.
- 11:37Speaker 1: Investigators believe Burke kept Celeste's body for over a week
- 11:41Speaker 1: before dismembering her and placing her in the tesla. Following
- 11:44Speaker 1: his arrest, Celeste's parents, he Zeus Revas and Mercedes Martinez,
- 11:49Speaker 1: revealed a heartbreaking statement through their attorney, Patrick Steinfeld. They
- 11:53Speaker 1: described Celeste as a beautiful girl who loved to sing
- 11:55Speaker 1: and dance, noting that every Friday night was family movie night. Quote.
- 12:00Speaker 1: All we want is justice for Celeste. Burke is pleaded
- 12:03Speaker 1: not guilty and remains held without bail. Because of the
- 12:06Speaker 1: special circumstances surrounding the murder, he faces a maximum sentence
- 12:10Speaker 1: of life without parole or even the death penalty, though
- 12:13Speaker 1: the DA's office has not yet decided if they will
- 12:15Speaker 1: seek the latter An evidence hearing is set for April
- 12:18Speaker 1: twenty ninth, followed by a preliminary hearing on May first.
- 12:22Speaker 1: More crime and justice news after this. In Florida, federal
- 12:30Speaker 1: prosecutors are fighting to put a teenage suspect behind bars
- 12:34Speaker 1: following the death of his stepsister on a carnival cruise ship.
- 12:38Speaker 1: Sixteen year old is facing charges of first degree murder
- 12:42Speaker 1: and aggravated sexual abuse in connection with the November death
- 12:46Speaker 1: of eighteen year old Anna Kepner. According to court filings,
- 12:50Speaker 1: the government is now urging a judge to revoke the
- 12:53Speaker 1: teen's release or significantly tighten his restrictions because he is
- 12:57Speaker 1: now being prosecuted as an adult. The details of the
- 13:00Speaker 1: case are devastating. Anna, known affectionately as Anna Banana, was
- 13:05Speaker 1: found dead in a cabin she shared with her stepbrother
- 13:07Speaker 1: during a family vacation. Investigators discovered her body hidden under
- 13:12Speaker 1: a bed, wrapped in a blanket, and covered with life jackets.
- 13:15Speaker 1: A subsequent autopsy ruled her death a homicide caused by
- 13:19Speaker 1: mechanical asphyxiation. Despite the gravity of these federal charges, thh
- 13:24Speaker 1: has remained free living with a relative, a fact that
- 13:27Speaker 1: has left Anna's father, Christopher Kepner in a state of
- 13:30Speaker 1: absolute outrage. In an interview with The Daily Mail, Christopher
- 13:34Speaker 1: expressed his heartbreak and frustration, noting that while the family
- 13:38Speaker 1: has been paralyzed by grief for six months, the accused
- 13:41Speaker 1: killer has been allowed to go wherever he wants. He
- 13:44Speaker 1: told the outlet he wants to see the teen in
- 13:46Speaker 1: an orange jumpsuit in handcuffs, calling him a danger to
- 13:49Speaker 1: himself and others. On Tuesday, Thh's attorney entered a plea
- 13:54Speaker 1: of not guilty on his behalf, while the defense continues
- 13:57Speaker 1: to argue that he should remain free while the judge
- 14:00Speaker 1: waighs the prosecution's request. A horrific scene of domestic violence
- 14:07Speaker 1: has shattered a Louisiana community after a father opened fire
- 14:11Speaker 1: at two separate homes, claiming the lives of eight children.
- 14:16Speaker 1: On Sunday morning, Shreveport police responded to a domestic disturbance
- 14:19Speaker 1: on West seventy ninth Street to find a scene described
- 14:23Speaker 1: by investigators as extensive. Authority say the suspect, identified as
- 14:28Speaker 1: Shamar Elkins, first shot a woman believed to be his
- 14:31Speaker 1: girlfriend on nearby Harrison Street before moving to the second location.
- 14:35Speaker 1: Inside that home, seven children were found dead. An eighth
- 14:39Speaker 1: child was shot and killed while attempting to escape across
- 14:42Speaker 1: the roof in a domestic disturbance. Eight of these individuals
- 14:47Speaker 1: are deceased.
- 14:50Speaker 4: The ranges of the decedents are for four years of age.
- 14:55Speaker 1: Among the survivors are Elkin's wife, who was shot in
- 14:58Speaker 1: the face in a teeny major who suffered non life
- 15:01Speaker 1: threatening injuries. Police spokesperson Christopher Bordelon confirmed that seven of
- 15:06Speaker 1: the eight children killed were Elkin's own. All of the
- 15:09Speaker 1: deceased in this space works not.
- 15:13Speaker 4: Police officers did discharge their FIRELM, and that individual is deceased.
- 15:17Speaker 5: I think about this.
- 15:18Speaker 1: Elkins fled the scene in a carjacked vehicle, leading officers
- 15:22Speaker 1: on a high speed chase into neighboring Bossier Parish. The
- 15:25Speaker 1: pursuit ended when Shreveport officers opened fire, killing the suspect.
- 15:30Speaker 3: Community and what this community has lost.
- 15:34Speaker 1: Shreveport Mayor Tom Arsenal and city council members gathered Sunday
- 15:38Speaker 1: to pray for the grieving family. Struggling to process the magnitude.
- 15:42Speaker 4: Of police said, individuals that are struggled on Firelins night, so.
- 15:47Speaker 5: Have the worst to give you, and I'm sorry.
- 15:49Speaker 1: In Texas, a week long search for missing A Shaunte
- 15:52Speaker 1: Allen ended in tragedy.
- 15:54Speaker 4: MY body's been numb ever since I've received this phone call.
- 15:58Speaker 4: We was hoping for the best, but now we've heard
- 16:02Speaker 4: the worst.
- 16:02Speaker 1: Ashanti, who is eight months pregnant, was found dead Thursday
- 16:06Speaker 1: near a bayou in Chimney Rock Park. Alan had been
- 16:09Speaker 1: missing since April tenth, shortly after sending a cryptic text
- 16:13Speaker 1: to her mother stating she was leaving and not coming back.
- 16:17Speaker 1: While her apartment appeared undisturbed and her hospital bag was
- 16:21Speaker 1: still inside the family's white Lincoln SUV was missing. Her
- 16:25Speaker 1: father spoke about the devastating loss of his daughter and
- 16:28Speaker 1: his unborn grandchild.
- 16:30Speaker 4: Being pregnant eight months with my first grandson. I can't
- 16:33Speaker 4: even tell you how I feel. My body is just
- 16:36Speaker 4: completely numb. I don't think I even processed the fact
- 16:39Speaker 4: that my daughter's gone. But then I know it's gonna
- 16:42Speaker 4: hit me. It's gonna hit me hard because I love
- 16:44Speaker 4: my baby girl. She was my only girl, my baby girl,
- 16:48Speaker 4: and then she had my only baby grandson. I mean
- 16:52Speaker 4: she had baby clothes. I was about to go buy
- 16:55Speaker 4: a call seat and stroller and all this other stuff.
- 16:59Speaker 4: I mean, just a normal girl, pretty girl, working and
- 17:05Speaker 4: is trying to live life. So right now, I can't
- 17:09Speaker 4: even I can't put it in words out here.
- 17:12Speaker 1: Houston police are now searching for twenty four year old
- 17:14Speaker 1: Kevin Foe, the father of the unborn child. Originally charge
- 17:18Speaker 1: in connection with the discovery at the park, authorities have
- 17:21Speaker 1: now upgraded the charge against Foe to capital murder. If
- 17:25Speaker 1: anyone has information on Foe's location, they are asked to
- 17:28Speaker 1: call HPD at seven one three threeh eight thirty six
- 17:32Speaker 1: hundred or crime Stoppers at seven one three two two
- 17:35Speaker 1: two tips. Meanwhile, in Georgia, investigators have yet to identify
- 17:40Speaker 1: a suspect after a pregnant mother of two was found
- 17:43Speaker 1: shot inside her vehicle during rush hour. Thirty four year
- 17:47Speaker 1: old Bianca Huntley was discovered Tuesday evening along I seventy
- 17:50Speaker 1: five near the Atlanta Airport. She was shot once, the
- 17:54Speaker 1: bullet traveling through her arm and torso.
- 17:56Speaker 5: It's something that she did not deserve. You're talking about
- 18:00Speaker 5: a light, a shining light that got snuffed out.
- 18:05Speaker 1: While she was found in her car. Atlanta police believe
- 18:08Speaker 1: the shooting may have occurred at a separate, unknown location.
- 18:11Speaker 5: She actually was shot, tried to get out of the
- 18:15Speaker 5: try to down nine one one get out of the vehicle.
- 18:18Speaker 1: Huntley, a quality manager who had recently earned a promotion,
- 18:21Speaker 1: leaves behind two daughters, ages fourteen and five.
- 18:25Speaker 5: Her boss joked with me this morning, he said, you
- 18:27Speaker 5: know her energy. She changes the atmosphere when she walks
- 18:32Speaker 5: into a room. I said, I know.
- 18:34Speaker 1: Her mother, Gloria Allen, believes her daughter was specifically targeted.
- 18:38Speaker 5: My daughter was such a light that shined everywhere that
- 18:43Speaker 5: she went her life. We will celebrate it until my
- 18:46Speaker 5: last breath.
- 18:47Speaker 1: Despite the heartbreak, Alan remained steadfast in her search for justice.
- 18:52Speaker 5: And we're talking about six o'clock six point thirty rush
- 18:58Speaker 5: hour traffic on Highway seventy five. Somebody saw something. I'm
- 19:04Speaker 5: a woman of faith. Vengeance belongs to God, but my
- 19:08Speaker 5: daughter will be vindicated.
- 19:10Speaker 1: For the latest crime and justice breaking news, be sure
- 19:13Speaker 1: to tune in tomorrow on your favorite podcast app with
- 19:15Speaker 1: this crime alert. I'm Sydney Silvanni