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D4vd's Indigency Claim

True crime · Heat 1.1 / 10 · 3 shows · 1h 21m airtime

At a Los Angeles arraignment on August 31, 2026, David Anthony Burke, known as D4vd, pleaded not guilty to murder, lewd acts with a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains, and qualified for appointed counsel. Reporting since has established that his former attorneys, Blair Burke, Marilyn Minarski and Regina Peter, moved to withdraw and the court granted it, a negotiated substitution rather than a firing; that two homes valued at $850,000 and $375,000 were transferred into his mother's name right after authorities searched his residences; that Interscope terminated his contract and platforms stopped paying him; and that he is hiring a new entertainment lawyer while claiming indigency. No mitigation packet has been submitted; the death penalty decision…

How 3 podcasts covered it

  1. Law&Crime Sidebar, 2026-08-31 (0:50 to 1:36)
    Sets up the arraignment and public defender swap
    Sets up the August 31 arraignment: Burke, 21, swapped his private defense team for a public defender, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains, and remains held without bail. Recaps the earlier probable cause finding and the Tesla discovery.
  2. Law&Crime Sidebar, 2026-08-31 (1:36 to 2:11)
    Retells the case's allegations in twenty seconds
    Twenty seconds of background on the case between other stories: the Lake Elsinore teen, the Tesla trunk, the April arrest, the exposure motive. It retells the allegations already on the record and adds nothing new.
  3. Law&Crime Sidebar, 2026-08-31 (3:07 to 5:28)
    Reports the counsel swap from inside court
    Correspondent Julia Deng, inside the courtroom, reports the 8:30 arraignment started late because the delay was a negotiated substitution of counsel, and reads the former attorneys' statement that the court granted their motion to withdraw after Burke qualified for appointed counsel.
  4. Law&Crime Sidebar, 2026-08-31 (5:23 to 6:03)
    Recaps the status conference and death penalty call
    Recaps the arraignment's aftermath: the October 19 status conference and the DA's undecided death penalty call. The one fresh detail - that the original defense team never submitted a mitigation packet - is already on the record.
    New angle: DA Nathan Hockman said after the arraignment he has not decided whether to seek the death penalty.
  5. Law&Crime Sidebar, 2026-08-31 (6:01 to 7:42)
    Reads the former defense team's statement
    Reads the former defense team's statement, obtained by LA Magazine, naming Blair Burke, Marilyn Minarski and Regina Peter and confirming the court granted their withdrawal after Burke qualified for appointed counsel. Notes the public defender was already seated in the courtroom, suggesting the substitution was negotiated in advance.
    New angle: Burke's withdrawing attorneys are Blair Burke, Marilyn Minarski and Regina Peter; their statement went to LA Magazine.
  6. Law&Crime Sidebar, 2026-08-31 (7:42 to 8:47)
    Walks through the mitigation packet gap
    Walks through the mitigation packet and the death penalty decision - the public defender can now submit one, no timeline is set, and the original team never did. It stays inside the arraignment fallout already on the record.
    New angle: Hockman says the original defense team had the opportunity to submit a mitigation packet and never did.
  7. Law&Crime Sidebar, 2026-08-31 (9:50 to 12:23)
    Names the public defender and the denied delay
    Names Waleed Kandil as the deputy public defender now on the case and reads his statement; adds that the judge denied his request for more time, with prosecutor Beth Silverman already grinning out of chambers.
    New angle: Judge denied Kandil's request for more time to prepare; Beth Silverman is the prosecuting deputy DA.
  8. Law&Crime Sidebar, 2026-08-31 (12:23 to 14:48)
    Adds color on the outgoing defense team
    Adds color on the outgoing private team: veteran L.A. trial lawyers who methodically attacked the circumstantial evidence across the five-day preliminary hearing that ended July 27, with no visible rift with Burke before the substitution.
    New angle: Burke's former counsel waived time for the arraignment and trial.
  9. Law&Crime Sidebar, 2026-08-31 (14:48 to 17:25)
    Speculates on the counsel switch and trial timing
    Weber speculates money drove the counsel switch, citing expert costs and the financial-gain special circumstance; Deng explains the 16-day felony trial rule and notes Burke waived time. Both threads are already on the record.
    New angle: Prosecutors alleged as a special circumstance that Burke killed Celeste for financial gain.
  10. Law&Crime Sidebar, 2026-08-31 (19:08 to 20:47)
    Airs the DA's post-arraignment press conference
    Air of the DA's post-arraignment press conference: Hockman confirms the not-guilty pleas, the counsel substitution and the October 19 pretrial date, and says his office will give new counsel extra time to submit a mitigation packet before he decides on death.
    New angle: The DA's office will give new counsel additional time to submit a mitigation packet.
  11. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, 2026-09-01 (0:00 to 2:02)
    Recaps the arraignment and public defender ruling
    Reports from the arraignment that Burke dismissed his high-profile team, qualified for a public defender, and pleaded not guilty; the DA says the death penalty decision is pending and no mitigation packet has arrived.
  12. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, 2026-09-01 (2:02 to 3:25)
    Interviews the DA outside the courthouse
    Goes to the DA outside the courthouse after the defense shake-up: Hotchman says his office is ready when the defense announces ready, floats a possible motion to dismiss, and confirms the mitigation packet still hasn't arrived. Adds the next court date.
  13. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, 2026-09-02 (0:01 to 2:38)
    Goes to the money behind the indigency claim
    Opens on the arraignment firing but goes to the money: two homes moved out of Burke's name, millions through companies he owns, and a new entertainment lawyer hired to keep his career going. The indigency claim is the new thread.
  14. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, 2026-09-02 (5:08 to 5:58)
    Reads a tip backing the millions claim
    Reads a listener tip and says she holds a franchise tax account status document backing the claim that Burke has millions; the private investigator adds the two transferred homes' values and says the transfers look aimed at avoiding civil litigation.
    New angle: The two homes transferred to Burke's mother are valued at $850,000 and $375,000.
  15. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, 2026-09-02 (5:58 to 7:38)
    Retells the home transfers as litigation dodge
    Private investigator Steve Fisher retells the asset transfers - the $850,000 and $375,000 homes moved to Burke's mother - and argues they were made to dodge civil litigation. The money questions stay inside what the show already put on the record.
    New angle: A private investigator says the home transfers were made to avoid civil litigation, and that Burke's streams kept earning after the murder.
  16. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, 2026-09-02 (7:31 to 8:50)
    Presses on the money behind the indigency claim
    Fisher presses on the money behind the indigency claim: he wants to know why Burke's mother tried to raise $2 million for bail days after Celeste was found, and where the assets and incoming revenue go now that Interscope has terminated the contract and Spotify payments have stopped.
    New angle: Interscope terminated D4vd's contract and Spotify and other platforms have stopped sending him money.
  17. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, 2026-09-02 (9:17 to 10:03)
    Recounts the courtroom shock at the swap
    Reporter Marissa Reyes recounts the courtroom shock when Burke's attorneys vanished and a public defender stepped in, and argues the financial evaluation means he isn't hiding money. Reaction and argument over the arraignment, staying inside the existing record.
  18. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, 2026-09-02 (10:09 to 14:03)
    Debates whether the accounts are reachable
    Rice argues Burke likely can't reach the accounts still earning and that real estate can't be quickly liquidated; Grace counters the houses were sold and that reports put $11 million hidden with help. A debate over the indigency claim already on the record.
  19. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, 2026-09-02 (14:44 to 17:33)
    Reframes the asset transfers as control
    A psychotherapist reframes the asset transfers as a control tactic - managing what people can prove - and the segment drifts into expert-witness hourly rates. No new fact about the transfers, the hearing or the case; it argues over what is already on the record.
  20. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, 2026-09-02 (17:38 to 20:30)
    Breaks down the expert costs of a defense
    Forensic expert walks through the expert costs a murder defense requires - pathologists, anthropologists, entomologists, digital and Tesla specialists at $250–$600 an hour, billing travel and testimony - arguing a public defender cannot afford them.
  21. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, 2026-09-02 (22:48 to 25:09)
    Ties the expert costs to the indigency claim
    Forensic examiner walks through the expert work the defense would have to fund - entomology on the blowflies, digital forensics, a Tesla camera specialist - and the panel ties it to the indigency claim, noting Interscope says Burke earned at least $10 million in two and a half years on a contract valued near $19 million.
  22. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, 2026-09-02 (26:19 to 29:38)
    Puts numbers and entities on the money
    The show's own investigative reporter puts numbers and corporate names on the money question: a pre-case net worth of $2–4 million, $11 million from the Interscope deal, and three entities - D4VD Entertainment, Skull Rose Merchandising, Headspace Publishing - where Burke is listed as owner or director.
    New angle: Burke is listed as owner or director of D4VD Entertainment, Skull Rose Merchandising, and Headspace Publishing.
  23. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, 2026-09-02 (29:57 to 30:24)
    Adds the timing of the real estate transfers
    Adds a timing detail to the asset-transfer thread: court records show the family moved Burke's real estate into his mother's name right after authorities searched his residences, and notes Interscope only terminated the contract after Celeste Rivas was identified.
    New angle: The real estate transfers into Burke's mother's name came right after authorities searched his residences.
  24. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, 2026-09-02 (30:24 to 32:20)
    Adds the jailhouse music and lawyer search
    Adds a jailhouse detail to the Burke money story: reports that he is still making music from behind bars while his mother has a lawyer shopping for entertainment representation. It sits alongside the existing deltas on the terminated Interscope deal and the asset transfers.
    New angle: Colleen Roberts Burke had a lawyer seeking entertainment representation for D4vd while he is jailed.
  25. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, 2026-09-02 (40:27 to 43:30)
    Reads the pregnancy texts and asset checks
    Reads texts between Celeste and Burke about pregnancy symptoms and a first abortion, including a message where she says she killed her kid for him. Adds how public defender's offices verify assets, mostly by asking about bank accounts and relying on self-reporting.
    New angle: Celeste texted Burke that she had pregnancy symptoms and asked what if the first abortion did not work.
  26. Law&Crime Sidebar, 2026-09-02 (0:00 to 0:34)
    Restates the public defender switch as setup
    Opens the episode by restating that Burke will be represented by LA County public defenders instead of private counsel, then teases the money questions and the victim's family statement. A setup for the hour, not new information.
  27. Law&Crime Sidebar, 2026-09-02 (0:59 to 4:13)
    Recaps the prosecution theory and counsel swap
    Recaps the prosecution's theory - the online meeting, the alleged relationship starting at 13, the Hollywood Hills killing, the inflatable pool, the Tesla trunk - then retells the counsel substitution and the family's indigency statement. A thorough retelling that stays inside the existing record.
  28. Law&Crime Sidebar, 2026-09-02 (10:27 to 15:01)
    Reads the transcript on the label deal payments
    Reads the preliminary hearing transcript on Burke's finances: Interscope finance VP Louis Poimeru's payment figures and the $13 million four-album deal, plus TMZ's report that Burke's father sold a Texas home for $229,000 and took a $100,000-plus loan against another property.
    New angle: Interscope paid $950,000 in 2022, $3.869 million in 2023 and $186,809 in 2024; the four-album deal is valued at a minimum of $13 million.
  29. Law&Crime Sidebar, 2026-09-02 (15:11 to 16:22)
    Reports the father's property sales and loans
    Reports that Burke's father sold a Houston property for $229,000 and took out a loan against another property totaling more than $100,000, possibly to fund the defense, then brings on a former federal prosecutor to walk through private-versus-public-defender costs and the death penalty as a bargaining chip.
    New angle: Burke's father DeWood sold a Houston property for $229,000 and borrowed over $100,000 against another.
  30. Law&Crime Sidebar, 2026-09-02 (20:19 to 28:23)
    Explains what the public defender swap means
    A legal analyst walks through what the public-defender substitution means: workload-driven trial delays, court-controlled expert funding, the death penalty as a bargaining chip, and the fact that child offenders are segregated in prison regardless of death row. Analysis of the arraignment's consequences, with no new reporting.
  31. Dateline NBC, 2026-09-03 (26:30 to 28:15)
    Recaps the arraignment and the death penalty
    Recaps the D4vd arraignment - the not-guilty plea, the defense team's withdrawal and the public defender appointment, the motive allegation, and the DA's word that the death penalty is still on the table. A short retelling that stays inside the week's coverage.
  32. Law&Crime Sidebar, 2026-09-08 (0:50 to 3:36)
    Reads the family's death penalty endorsement
    Reads the Rivas Hernandez family's statements through attorney Patrick Steinfeld on what would have been Celeste's 16th birthday, including their support for the death penalty, and replays Hochman's remarks that no mitigation packet has arrived and no death penalty decision is made.
    New angle: Celeste Rivas Hernandez's family, through attorney Patrick Steinfeld, publicly endorsed the death penalty for Burke.
  33. Law&Crime Sidebar, 2026-09-14 (30:22 to 33:16)
    Reacts to Burke's switch to the public defender
    Steinfeld reacts to Burke's switch to the public defender, speculating he cut losses because he has no defense, and notes the family's gratitude for community support in Lake Elsinore. Reaction and opinion, no new facts on the record.
  34. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, 2026-10-20 (34:12 to 42:26)
    Reports from the brief first court appearance
    Reports from the courthouse on Burke's first appearance with his public defenders: a roughly three-minute hearing that continued the case to January 11, 2027, with the prosecution handing over 40 terabytes of evidence on hard drives. Frames it around where his money went and the civil suit against his enablers.
    New angle: Burke's case was continued to January 11, 2027, and prosecutors turned over 40 terabytes of evidence on hard drives.
Unpacking...