True Crime Today | Daily True Crime News & Interviews

D4VD Was at Coachella 12 Days Before Celeste Vanished Forever

The charges are in. And they're worse than anyone expected. David Anthony Burke — the singer known as D4VD — has been formally charged in connection with the death of fourteen-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. First-degree with special circumstances. Continuous abuse of a minor. Inappropriate acts with a child under fourteen. Mutilation of remains. The maximum sentence: life without parole or the most severe penalty available. The DA says that decision comes later. But it's the prosecution's theory of motive that changes everything about how we understand this case. The special circumstances allege lying in wait, acting for financial gain, and silencing a potential witness. DA Nathan Hochman stated directly that the financial gain was Burke protecting his lucrative music career — a career that Celeste was allegedly threatening on the night of April 23, 2025, the last night she was known to be alive. The evidence trail prosecutors plan to present includes physical, forensic, and digital evidence. But the public record already tells its own story: a Twitch livestream with a thirteen-year-old where Burke said "delete everything." Discord messages dating back to 2022. Photos near her family home. Backstage access at concerts. Matching tattoos. Three missing persons reports. And a girl who kept ending up back with the same person while every system designed to protect her looked the other way. Celeste's family broke their silence after the arrest. Her father, Jesus Rivas, said: "Justice for Celeste." The family's attorney says they are committed to ensuring Celeste's voice is heard throughout this process. Burke's defense team — led by Blair Berk — says he is innocent and that the evidence will show he did not cause Celeste's death. This fight is just beginning. Tony Brueski breaks it all down on True Crime Today. Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ [https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/] Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ [https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/] Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ [https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/] Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod [https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod] X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod [https://x.com/TrueCrimePod] This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. #TrueCrimeToday #D4VD #CelesteRivasHernandez #TrueCrime #JusticeForCeleste #DavidAnthonyBurke #CelesteRivas #HiddenKillers #LAPD #TrueCrimeCommunity

FLDS Leader Warren Jeffs’ Cash-Funded Escape Exposed — Part 3

Warren Jeffs did not run alone. When the FLDS prophet vanished to avoid charges in Arizona and Utah, the community that worshipped him bankrolled the escape. Cash, prepaid debit cards, untraceable phones, rotating safe houses—the operation was funded by the tithes of families who believed they were serving God. His brother Seth was caught in a separate traffic stop with nearly $142,000 and a change jar labeled Pennies for the Prophet. The FBI placed Jeffs on its Ten Most Wanted list in May 2006 with a $100,000 reward. Three months later, a Nevada trooper pulled over a red Escalade for an obscured plate. Inside: Jeffs, his favorite wife Naomi, his brother Isaac, three wigs, a police scanner, and $54,000 in cash. When questioned separately, Warren said Denver. Isaac said Utah. That was it. Part Three of the Hidden Killers FLDS series covers the manhunt, the funded escape network, and the arrest that ended it. We also cover the moment Jeffs told his own brother he was a fraud—and then took it all back. For the true crime community following the FLDS story, this is the chapter that shows how a cult’s loyalty system operates even when the leader is in the wind. Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ [https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/] Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ [https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/] Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ [https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/] Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod [https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod] X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod [https://x.com/TrueCrimePod] This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. #WarrenJeffs #FLDS #TrueCrimeToday #FBIMostWanted #FLDSChurch #FugitiveArrest #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #CultLeader #CultExposed

D4VD Murder Defense: Legal Strategy and Exposure

David Anthony Burke faces first-degree murder with three special circumstances, charges carrying a maximum penalty of death or life without parole. His defense team, led by attorney Blair Berk, has asserted that Burke “was not the cause of her death”—a statement criminal defense attorney Bob Motta identifies as a deliberate preview of the defense’s legal theory. Motta joins Tony Brueski and Robin Dreeke to provide legal analysis of the defense’s strategy and the challenges it confronts. The episode examines how the defense may leverage the now-available autopsy findings to support an alternative explanation for the victim’s death. Motta analyzes what that alternative theory must look like to create reasonable doubt against charges of this severity with a 14-year-old victim. The financial gain special circumstance is addressed from the defense perspective: the prosecution alleges the defendant killed the victim to protect his music career. Motta examines the defense’s likely counter-argument and the evidentiary standard for disproving motive. The mutilation charge is analyzed as an independent obstacle: the victim’s body was dismembered, and the defense must address the condition of the remains even if they successfully challenge the cause of death. Motta provides analysis on whether the act of killing can be separated from the disposal in the jury’s assessment of culpability. The episode further examines the investigative resistance from the defendant’s associates, the strategic implications of the death penalty determination still pending, and whether charges of this magnitude push toward plea negotiations or total trial warfare. Comprehensive legal analysis of the defense’s position against the most serious charges available under California law. Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ [https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/] Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ [https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/] Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ [https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/] Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod [https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod] X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod [https://x.com/TrueCrimePod] This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. #D4VD #CelesteRivasHernandez #DavidAnthonyBurke #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #JusticeForCeleste #BobMotta #FirstDegreeMurder #LAPDArrest #TrueCrimePodcast

D4VD First-Degree Murder: Special Circumstances Explained

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has filed first-degree murder charges with special circumstances against David Anthony Burke, professionally known as D4VD, in connection with the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The special circumstances include lying in wait, murder for financial gain, and murder of a witness. Additional charges include continuous sexual acts with a minor, lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14, and mutilation of human remains. DA Nathan Hochman stated the maximum sentence is life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Criminal defense attorney Bob Motta joins Tony Brueski and Robin Dreeke to provide legal analysis of the charging decision and the prosecution’s stated theory. The financial gain special circumstance is examined in detail: prosecutors allege Burke killed the victim to protect his music career, which she allegedly threatened. Motta analyzes the evidentiary burden associated with proving financial motive in a murder prosecution. The episode addresses how the sexual abuse charges intersect with the witness-killing special circumstance to form the prosecution’s central theory: that the sexual relationship with a minor created both the vulnerability and the motive for the alleged murder. Motta also examines the challenge of proving premeditation when five months of decomposition degraded physical evidence, the DA’s stated confidence in physical, forensic, and digital evidence, and the evidentiary standard required for circumstantial evidence to support death-penalty-eligible charges. Comprehensive legal analysis of the charges, the prosecution’s theory, and the evidentiary framework required to sustain them. Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ [https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/] Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ [https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/] Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ [https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/] Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod [https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod] X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod [https://x.com/TrueCrimePod] This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. #D4VD #CelesteRivasHernandez #DavidAnthonyBurke #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #JusticeForCeleste #BobMotta #FirstDegreeMurder #LAPDArrest #TrueCrimePodcast

Sandra Birchmore Case: Farwell’s DNA on the Strap — October Trial Set

The evidence against former Stoughton police detective Matthew Farwell just got significantly worse. Federal prosecutors revealed in April 2026 court filings that Farwell’s DNA was found on the duffel bag strap that was tied around Sandra Birchmore’s neck when her body was discovered. His sperm cells were found in her underwear. And a coworker told investigators that about two weeks before Birchmore’s death, Farwell said his problem was going to take care of itself. Prosecutors are calling the strap the murder weapon. They say the DNA finding directly contradicts Farwell’s claim that he last had sex with Birchmore in 2020. State investigators had found male DNA on the strap back in 2021 but never compelled a sample from Farwell. It took a federal investigation, years later, to make the match. The prosecution also laid out how the original investigation failed. Canton police told the medical examiner there was no foul play within an hour of finding Birchmore’s body. They called the ligature a scarf. No devices seized. No DNA compelled. Prosecutors wrote that Farwell was never seriously considered a suspect — and argue that’s exactly why he stayed in town for years, not because he’s innocent. Farwell has lost every pre-trial fight. Venue change denied. Motion to dismiss denied. His defense’s own bail filing had to be amended after a footnote appeared to name his twin brother as the father of Birchmore’s unborn child. The actual father has not been publicly identified. Prosecutors also alleged a separate incident from summer 2021 involving another woman at a bar — cited as evidence of dangerousness. Trial begins October 5, 2026 in federal court in Boston. No death penalty. If convicted, Farwell faces life. True Crime Today has the complete breakdown. Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ [https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/] Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ [https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/] Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ [https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/] Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod [https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod] X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod [https://x.com/TrueCrimePod] This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. #SandraBirchmore #MatthewFarwell #TrueCrimeToday #FarwellTrial2026 #StoughtonPolice #JusticeForSandraBirchmore #TrueCrimeNews #PoliceMisconduct #FederalMurderCase #ColdCaseJustice