Movers have cleared out a $4.1 million Los Angeles mansion rented by D4vd, the singer at the center of a grisly murder probe involving a dismembered teenage girl.
The Daily Mail captured delivery crews hauling furniture and boxes from the Hollywood Hills home just days after it was raided by police investigating the disappearance of Celeste Rivas, whose decomposed body was discovered stuffed in the trunk of the star’s impounded Tesla on September 8.
Rivas was reported missing from her home in Lake Elsinore by her family in May 2024 when she was just 13. Sources close to the girl claimed to the Daily Mail that she was in an illicit relationship with D4vd – real name David Anthony Burke – and ran away to LA to be with him.
As the Daily Mail revealed earlier this week, Burke – who shot to fame on TikTok and has performed on Jimmy Kimmel‘s show – abruptly broke his $20,000-a-month lease on the luxury property, which is now at the heart of the investigation.
A former federal prosecutor has since shared a disturbing theory about why, despite the horrific discovery, no arrests have yet been made.
D4vd – real name David Anthony Burke – has been silent ever since police found the remains of Celeste Rivas Hernandez in his car on September 8
The Daily Mail has now obtained exclusive photographs showing moving crews clearing Burke’s and his manager’s belongings from the home on Wednesday
Rivas was reported missing from her home in Lake Elsinore by her family in May 2024 when she was just 13
‘I’m surprised D4vd hasn’t already been arrested,’ said Rahmani, founder of West Coast Trial Lawyers and a former prosecutor for the Department of Justice, told the Daily Mail.
‘Whenever they find a body in your car, that’s not good. And when it’s been dismembered, it’s even worse – and that’s without considering everything else we’ve heard in this case.
‘We could be looking at a minimum of charges of statutory rape, kidnapping, and trafficking, if she was indeed with him all this time, and they were in a sexual relationship.
‘So it’s shocking to me that nobody has been arrested – but I expect that to change within days. It’s just a matter of time.’
While shocked, Rahmani said he’s not all that surprised by the LAPD’s slow progress in making an arrest.
In his years working within the criminal justice system, Rahmani said he has never encountered a police department that operates at a more pedestrian pace than the LAPD.
In some cases, Rahmani claimed it could take the department up to eight months to prepare a report for a basic road or traffic accident.
‘Obviously, a murder is a very different type of case, but I haven’t dealt with a law enforcement agency as slow as LAPD,’ he said.
‘There is a lot of criticism of the LAPD for this exact reason – so I’m not shocked.’
Boxes of belongings were taken from the home by a removals company on Wednesday afternoon
The homeowner told the Daily Mail they no longer wanted to stay there because of the ‘ongoing situation’
The lease was in the name of Burke’s manager, Josh Marshall (right). They broke their lease within hours of the raid, the Daily Mail exclusively revealed
Police raided the Burke’s rental property a week ago
The home was searched for traces of blood, though it’s unclear if any was found
Police said they recovered lots of evidence which would be tested in the days following
No suspects or persons of interest have yet been publicly named in the case.
When approached for comment on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the department told the Daily Mail that ‘there are no updates,’ but the investigation is ongoing.
The spokesperson declined to comment on whether Burke is cooperating.
When the discovery of Rivas’s remains was first made, a representative for the 20-year-old singer claimed he was helping police. He has since retained powerhouse celebrity attorney, Blair Berk, who has yet to issue a statement or respond to requests for comment.
Sources close to the investigation told TMZ that detectives are currently piecing together Rivas’s personal history in an effort to understand the circumstances leading up to her death.
The outlet stated there is ample evidence that Rivas comes from a ‘troubled home’, which may have ‘triggered her desire to run away.’
Those claims match allegations made by two of the Daily Mail’s sources who described Rivas’ home life as ‘fractured’ and ‘complicated.’ Those sources said Rivas had run away from home numerous times before she vanished for good in May 2024.
The cause and time of death for Rivas have not yet been determined.
She was found one day after what would’ve been her 15th birthday, but appeared to have been dead for some time, according to law enforcement sources.
Rivas’s partial remains were released back to her family on Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.
Rahmani stressed that investigators don’t need to determine a cause or time of death to move forward with charges in this case.
Rivas’s remains were found dismembered and wrapped in plastic inside the front trunk of Burke’s Tesla
Images screenshotted from Burke’s social media pages show him with a girl who closely resembles descriptions and photos of Rivas
Rivas’s remains were found dismembered and wrapped in plastic.
The discovery was made when LAPD was called to a tow yard to investigate a foul stench emanating from the front trunk of a black Tesla Model Y that had been impounded on September 6.
The car was found abandoned near Doheny Place and Bluebird Avenue, only blocks from a four-bedroom home rented by Burke’s manager, Josh Marshall, where Burke had been living.
Homeowner Mladen Trifunovic told the Daily Mail that Marshall signed the lease in February 2024 – the same month Rivas was first reported missing by her family. She briefly returned but vanished again in May.
After last week’s raid, Marshall asked to terminate the lease and has begun moving out both his and Burke’s belongings.
‘They’ve decided to move out because of the ongoing circumstances,’ said Trifunovic. ‘They didn’t want to be there anymore.’
Trifunovic said he had no idea who Burke was, or that he was living at the home, until his real estate manager told him about the raid.
A removal crew was then seen removing furniture and boxes of belongings from the home on Wednesday afternoon.
Homeowner Mladen Trifunovic told the Daily Mail that Marshall signed the lease in February 2024
Trifunovic, an AI developer and crypto investor, said he had no idea who Burke was, or that he was living at the home
It’s unclear if police plan to return to the property to conduct further tests
The LAPD declined to share whether they had any plans to return to the property to conduct further arrests or if they were aware of Burke’s and Marshall’s decision to move out.
Trifunovic said the home is equipped with security cameras, so law enforcement should have ‘plenty of footage’ to work with.
Tesla Model Ys are equipped with multiple interior and exterior cameras, though it’s unclear if investigators have recovered footage from Burke’s car.
Burke was away performing on the US leg of his Withered World Tour when Rivas was found.
Law enforcement sources previously told TMZ that Burke’s car was never reported stolen before it was impounded.
The nature of Burke’s relationship with Rivas is currently being scrutinized by investigators. Multiple images have circulated on social media, purporting to show the pair together.
Sources close to the girl alleged to the Daily Mail last week that Burke had been in an underage relationship with Rivas.
It’s unclear when the alleged illicit relations began, but one source claimed Burke first made contact with Rivas when she was 12.
Two of the Daily Mail’s sources who described Rivas’ home life as ‘fractured’ and ‘complicated’
A growing makeshift memorial now lines the street Rivas once lived on in California
Rivas’s brother also claimed his family was aware of their alleged relationship. He claimed she disappeared with Burke after he picked her up to go see a movie – and the pair never returned.
The brother further claimed Burke would often pick her up in the same Tesla in which her body was later found.
Rahmani called the mounting case against Burke ‘staggering’.
In addition to photos purporting to show the pair together during the time Rivas was missing, internet sleuths also unearthed an alleged unreleased song of Burke’s, titled Celeste_Demo unfin.
The song’s authenticity has not been confirmed, but leakers claim it was recorded by Burke in December 2023, and the lyrics explicitly reference a girl called Celeste.
Reflecting on the information that has come to light so far, Rahmani said Burke’s team will have a mountain to climb in the event their client is charged with any offenses related to Rivas’ death or disappearance.
‘There are so many possibilities here: that she died from other causes like an overdose, and someone tried to conceal it, but there’s also a lot of bad evidence in this case, too.
‘Where there’s smoke, there’s fire – and it doesn’t look good for D4vd right now.’
