D4vd's Chilling Jail Letters Exposed

New reports suggest David is seemingly. communicating with an inmate from behind. bars. And now one question has become, did the singer promise to help him out. financially only to be told he can't? This is one of several developments as. we approach the one-year mark since. authorities found the remains of Celeste. [music] Riveras Hernandez. And since. this young girl would have just turned. 16 years old, >> [music]. >> let's discuss the latest. Welcome to. Sidebar, presented by Law & Crime. I'm. Jesse Weber.

Okay, we got new developments in the. David [music] case that we want to get. into, including reporting about these. communications that the romantic. homicide singer may have been having. with an inmate that I will tell you. right now certainly interesting and also. potentially problematic for him. We'll. talk about why. Now, we also have. correspondence from Celeste Riveras. Hernandez's family as well because did. you know what yesterday was? September. 7th, 2026. Celeste birthday.

She would have been 16 years old. And. prosecutors allege that David, 21-year-old David Anthony Burke, sexually assaulted her, murdered her, and dismembered her body. Her decomposed. remains were found in the trunk of a. Tesla allegedly registered to David back. on September 8th, 2025, a year ago. today. So, the first update with keeping. this in mind, this is a statement from. Celeste family through Patrick. Steinfeld, their attorney. And it says, "Victim's family remembers Celeste.

Riveras Hernandez on her 16th birthday. Today we are experiencing so many. emotions, praying and singing happy. birthday, reliving unforgettable moments. even though she is no longer here. These. are feelings that only a father and. mother and her siblings can share with a. heavy heart. We will always remember. every moment and every good time we. spent with Celestita." The Riveras. Hernandez family. And by the way, this. follows up another statement from the.

family regarding the death penalty in. this case. It says, "Victim's family. supports the death penalty for David. Anthony Burke. If the death penalty were. activated, it would be perfect for this. kind of human being, devoid of feelings. and emptiness inside and without. conscience, who only caused pain to our. daughter, our family, and the world that. supports our precious daughter. But. that's not in our hands, but rather in. God's and the California justice. system." Rivas-Hernandez family. Thank. you for your continued coverage of this. tragic case. Now, actually with that in mind, we.

recently heard from LA County District. Attorney Nathan Hochman last week. This. was after David's latest hearing where. he switched out his defense attorneys to. go with the public defender's office. We. covered that in our previous sidebar. We. broke it all down. But here's what. Hochman said about the death penalty. >> The last thing that will have to be. decided, and that's a decision by myself. as the District Attorney, is whether or. not we'll be seeking the death penalty. in this case. We had invited David Anthony Burke's. prior counsel to submit what's called a.

mitigation package to the District. Attorney's Office for consideration. A. mitigation package are factors that we. are to consider why we should not bring. the death penalty in this case. We had. not received that mitigation practice. package as of today. Certainly, we will. give additional time for new counsel. to come up with a mitigation package if. they so choose to present it, in order. to consider that mitigation package as. well as all the aggravating factors in.

determining whether or not we will. proceed with the death penalty. That. decision has not been made today. >> But now I want to get into something. else. I want to get into something else. that just came out about what may be. going on with David behind bars. This is. interesting because TMZ has reported. that David sent these letters, these. communications, to an inmate referred to as a trustee. who worked in the jail. And by the way, we did a whole sidebar episode about. what his life at Twin Towers. Correctional Facility is like. But TMZ.

now reports that this incarcerated. person, this trustee, apparently met the. singer while serving food at the jail. and that David would write him letters. because they became friendly. Now, TMZ. has apparently obtained copies of these. letters. I'll give you a sample of it. This is where David appears to write. quote, "Let your brother know how much. of a miracle it is that he's still here. and let him know how much he's loved. God's not done with him yet. His story. did not end on that hill." So, there do.

appear to be these references to. religion and the Bible including a. passage from Isaiah 41:10. It says along. the lines, "I just wanted to say thank. you for looking out for me in here. God. has worked through you in ways you may. not even be aware of. What you get back. out there, continue to be a light to all. those around you. God is your strength.". And right now, I pray peace over you and. your family. I pray God's hand would. rest upon you all and that renewal, restoration, and recovery permeate each.

of your lives in Jesus' name. Amen. So, do not fear, for I am with you. Do not. be dismayed, for I am your God. I will. strengthen you and help you. I will. uphold you with my righteous right hand. But there's another section that was. called out by TMZ and I want to mention. It says, "Ugh, I feel terrible about. hearing you hanging like that, bro. I. haven't seen you around in a minute and. I didn't know how to reach you, so I. hope this kite does. My lawyer's pushed. my meeting back from Friday to that. following Monday that just passed and.

told me that I'm unable to help you in. the way that I want to at this time. I'm. so sorry, bro. I was so excited about it. and I know you're going through an. intense time right now, too. I apologize. times a thousand for not being able to. follow through. I am forever grateful. for your prayers and kindness towards. me. So, TMZ has reported that this is. apparently regarding bail money that the. inmate may be needed to get out of jail, that this regarded a surgery for his. brother, that's why you saw those. references to his brother before. And.

they claim that David may have promised. him money, and now his lawyers are. telling him he can't pay it out. Interesting. I may have questions. Okay, so let me bring on prison consultant. Justin Paperny to talk about this. Justin, it's good to see you. See, it's. been a minute. Haven't uh had you on in. a while. We haven't had a situation like. this in a while. Um. what do you make of the correspondence? Is it common? Is it uncommon? Strange? Talk to me about your initial. impressions. >> It's pretty common to form friendships. in prison.

You connect with someone uh similar. values, just very Someone can be very. appreciative of what you're going. through. They're a good listener. They. may understand what you're going. through. So, friendships form, correspondence happens, and when someone. does something nice for you, we're. raised to reciprocate. And if you have. means, you may be in a position to offer. something that could be a value there. So, I believe his intentions were good. The problem with these letters is the. sequencing. Anytime you make an offer and someone. controls the money, if it's a business. manager, an agent, a spouse, someone,

you need to get approval. They're going. to send the money so you don't make a. promise you can't fulfill. And also, when you're famous and rich and. everything you do is scrutinized, you. need to embrace that whatever you. produce could be read by millions of. people, uh strangers. So, I think he had. good intentions. He didn't think it. through, and it could pose some problems. for him on the inside. >> Well, let me ask you a question. Typically, can you. if you want to arrange that uh a fellow. inmate gets money, or you you want to.

give some sort of services or benefit to. their family on the outside, what's the. ability for inmates to do that? I mean, is it common to, you know, make. arrangements to pay for their legal. services, to pay for bail? Have you. heard anything about that? >> It's incredibly common. The day after. the Super Bowl, there's going to be. hundreds of prisoners that find a way to. reach someone to say cover my gambling. debt here in prison. Venmo, Zelle, get. these people the money or else I'm going. to have a problem. So, there's so many. ways that you could pay someone from the. inside. During a visitation, you can say. remember this number. When you leave, you're going to find this person and.

send them money. It could have been done. potentially through counsel. This is. someone that helped me. I appreciate. them. They've eased my stay. They've. told me there's a surgery for their. brother. I have resources that can help. them make bail. There's so many ways. that it could have been managed if he. really wanted to get this person the. money. The problem is, like so many. people, they don't fully understand. prison. So, they kind of manipulate this. environment. They make decisions without. fully understanding it. And then you. have a situation where a lawyer steps in. and say hold on a second. You are on. trial for murder. You could face the.

death penalty. Be in prison for life. We. cannot have any decisions or choices. that get in the way. of our defense. Then he's faced with the. unfortunate situation of having to undo. some bad decisions he's made. But in. sum, it is incredibly easy to get money. to another prisoner. Not hard. >> Well, one of the things that I was. wondering is if he was able to give him. the funds that were necessary. I mean, if this is reporting is true, that might. impact some of the reporting we've been. hearing that perhaps he doesn't have the. funds for a private defense team. Right?

I mean, the question of whether or not. he was indigent. And I will let you know. that the Rivas-Hernandez family, they. released a statement, I believe it was. last week, that says the Rivas-Hernandez. family was shocked to learn that David. Anthony Burke claims to be indigent. It. is unfathomable that our justice system. qualifies David Anthony Burke as. indigent when David has five plus. billion streams with 16 million monthly. listeners on a single streaming platform. and controls three corporations, David.

Entertainment, Skull Rose Merchandising, and Headspace Publishing. The residents. of Los Angeles County should be outraged. because it will be the taxpayers that. are picking the tab to defend this. millionaire on charges of murder, continuous sexual assault of a minor. under 14 years of age, and unlawful. mutilation of human remains. David. Anthony Burke is not indigent. His. assets are protected by his companies. Perhaps he would have money if he just. asked one of his corporations, or if he. had not fraudulently transferred assets. to his mother manager Colleen Burke, who.

is raking in $75,000. a year from David Entertainment in a. blatant attempt to protect his estate. from any civil suit, so the victim's. family wouldn't be able to get that. money as was testified to in Burke's. preliminary hearing. Now, I don't know. I mean, you're talking about potentially. a thousand dollars here to an inmate to. help them out. It's not the same thing. as like a hundred thousand dollars, but. that was the first thing that came to my. mind. >> So, believing he doesn't have a thousand. bucks is like believing Philip Morris. really doesn't want you to smoke. cigarettes or It's insane. It's the.

reason why his lawyer said we've got to. put a stop to this. If there is a victim. and if he is found guilty, they are. going to come after every penny. And if. he writes in a letter that I can send. you money, and that opens up that you. have money for a fellow prisoner or. inmate, every dollar you should have. should go to the victim's family. So, I'm not a buyer there, and it again, it. shows the risk of offering something to. someone without confirmation that you. can actually follow through. And it. poses some risk on the inside. Like, if. there's someone that you really don't.

like, Jesse, and I know you're very. likable, let's just say someone doesn't. like you. If you really wanted to avoid. them, you could. It's a big world. In. prison, if you make a promise, especially in a detention center like. this, it's you know, you are isolated, but when you go to the chow hall, if you. exercise, it is very close quarters. You. can't just ignore them. You are living. [clears throat] living very close to. them. So, that poses a potential problem. as well. When you have prisoners who. say, "Here's a rich guy we think who. made a promise, he's unable to follow. through, he doesn't keep his word, and. he has to live in in such close quarters.

to to all of these these people. That. that sequence scene was bad. He should. have got permission first. >> That's a good point. I mean, I I heard. you say before that could potentially. impact him behind bars. Let me ask you, why send a letter? Is it common for. inmates to send each other letters if. they see each other on a regular basis. or is the Twin Towers Correctional. Facility, if I'm assuming this inmate. trustee was in the same facility, is it. so big, so expansive that you may not. see somebody on a regular basis?

>> That's exactly right. You have to. understand a detention center like this. might not allow email correspondence. So, like dozens of times a day I'll get. an email from someone in prison through. CorrLinks in federal prison. His status. might not allow him to email, but of. course even if he could email, it's. recorded. Every phone call he would make. someone's going to listen to it. There's. a better chance that good old snail mail. pen and paper might get through, but if. he's not allowed to email and you're. sitting there and you have a lot of time. in segregation or a lot of time it's. like Groundhog Day in a Groundhog Day.

inside of these prisons, you pull out a. pen, paper, it's cathartic to write. He's a a creator and he just wanted to. purge and put it out, apologize and and. try to try to correct a wrong. It's. something he should not have done and. had his lawyers known from the. beginning, they'd have said, "I have no. doubt you have good intentions, you want. to help. Let me help you understand why. this can backfire because at some point. people like us could be on TV talking. about it and victims are then going to. say, 'He has money for someone, that. money needs to come to us if. convicted.'". >> Yeah, and I think that it raises an. interesting point about what's going on.

with him. Um, and I want to talk a. little bit more about Twin Towers in a. second, but what did you make of the. tone and the tenor of the. correspondence? A lot of religious. references. You know, to me it seemed. like, you know, hold on to your faith, don't lose hope. What did you make of. the tone and tenor of the. correspondence? >> Many people become more religious in. prison. I don't know if he was before he. went, but it's very common to find God. to try to find meaning through this very. awful experience. You talk about uh. Towers, it's in many ways like uh MDC or.

uh it you're confined. It's a very small. uh setting. If you're in segregation, you may only get out a few times a week. for 15 minutes. Prisoners describe. feeling uh. they're just they can't really function. You may shower three times a week, brush. your teeth every other day. You don't. know if it's morning or night. So, if. you're crisis and pain, it's very easy. to find religion and it's cathartic to. write. So, I think he described what he. felt at um at the moment and it's very. common on the inside for people to share. exactly what it is he shared.

>> And you've been to that facility. You. know what it's like. Is it dangerous? Is. it dirty? Is it overcrowded? What what. can you tell us about Twin Towers? >> Thankfully, I've only driven by it. thousands of times coming to and from. Los Angeles, but I've seen it. It's in. downtown. It's a it's a large complex. You never forget prisons care about. security of the institution, keeping. costs down. Right? So, you are confined, very few resources. It is not like you. would find even in a penitentiary where. you can go outside, play pickleball, exercise, run the track, go to. recreation in the library even with.

controlled movements. He's not outdoors. exercising. They have eyes on him 24. hours a day similar to Sean Combs or any. other high-profile prisoner because of. the potential sanction that he's. following. It's the reason I've said. people who go from a detention center. like MDC or Twin Towers eventually to a. penitentiary or a camp, in many ways. they feel free cuz they're able to roam. This is the hardest part of the. experience for him cuz he has the. unknown and he's in a detention center. or prison that provides very little. leeway to that you don't feel free. You.

literally feel confined at all times. And you don't necessarily feel that way. in a minimum security camp or a low. security prison. >> Is it tough to adjust to that new life? >> Sure. Uh imagine even if you lived in. the the smallest little one-bedroom in. West Hollywood or downtown Los Angeles. and you had to go to prison. Now, imagine you go from a mansion or a very. beautiful home with all the We love. stardom in this country. We fawn over. it. You you have sycophants, people. telling you what you want to hear, then. suddenly you're an environment where. you're confined, you're segregated, you. are told when to eat, when to shower,

when to visit, when to call. It can test. the strongest of minds. So, there's no. doubt he it is a difficult adjustment, which is part of the reason so many. people find faith and try to find. meaning through this experience. >> And when you talk about him befriending. this individual of trustee, I mean, it's. been labeled a trustee. I'm not entirely. [snorts] sure why, but. um. do you see people on the inside. typically befriending a celebrity? Befriending somebody who's well known? How does that work?

>> In my experience of working with so many. celebrities, some people don't care. Others loathe the celebrity cuz it could. disrupt their routine. And others, as I. just said, are enamored by celebrity. They may want to form a friendship. And. they want to learn more about that life, the money, the deals, the traveling, the. women. What was that like? And often. times it could be just they're curious. and the friendships form and a. connection happens. So, indeed, many. inmates or prisoners are enamored by. celebrity and often times it leads to.

friendships, but often times it could. lead to problems because I mean, I get. three calls a month from someone that. said, "I served time with Sean Combs. You want to talk about it? I served time. with Elizabeth Holmes. You want to talk. about it? Jennifer Shah. You want to. talk about it?" No, I don't want to know. what Combs ate for breakfast or how many. times a day Elizabeth Holmes combs her. hair. But people want that information. to then go out and share it. So, everyone has an has a motive and I would. encourage a celebrity or any prisoner to. understand that environment and if they. he did, a situation like this wouldn't. be unfolding.

>> Does it matter the charges that he's. facing, right? He's facing the sexual. abuse and murder of a 14-year-old girl. as well as the dismemberment of her. body. Those are the allegations. Do. those charges affect his status, his. life, the danger that he may be in while at. Twin Towers? >> There's no question, hence the the. segregation and more eyes on him and. monitoring male visitation and every. movement. There you are loathed for that. sort of crime. Indeed, a murder would be. more respected than than someone who.

allegedly kills a child. So, for that. reason, more eyes will be on him, require staff to more supervision on. him. So, of course, it is a terrible. charge if convicted. It's going to. follow him throughout his entire. journey. And I would argue because of. this. allegation and if convicted, he'll truly. never have a a decent night's rest. because he'll always be wondering who's. coming for me, both because of the crime. and also because they know it could help. make them. I mean, famous. Often times, we see. these cases of someone in prison who.

kills a child offender or sex offender. and it's lauded online, like this guy's. a hero. How do we send him money? So, everyone has an intention and if people. are in prison or bored, they're looking. for that attention, they could look to. do harm. He'll never rest well again. >> Let me ask you this, if he's convicted. or he pleads guilty, where would he go? Do you know? Do you know where he would. go? >> My presumption is he would go to a. penitentiary. Fences, barbed wire, controlled movements in a cell.

And he's not going to be able to endure. the the cozy. country country club camp where I served. time. >> you don't know which facility, like. where it might be or which state or how. it would work. >> It could It could be It could be like. Corcoran in Northern California where. Charles Manson served his sentence and. and died inside of that prison. There. are many high security prisons here in. California. Of course, federal prisons, there are penitentiaries all across the. country. But will be, in my opinion, the. highest security level. I mean, look at. the charge. If If convicted, this person. cannot have any really He He needs.

constant monitoring. This is as violent. as it gets. So, it will be, in my. opinion, the highest security prison. >> Let me say this, he is innocent unless. proven guilty, right? He hasn't been. convicted of anything. But look, one of. the things I mentioned before is there's. the possibility of the death penalty on. the table. And I know there's a. moratorium on executions as of right now. in California, but if prosecutors decide. to go that path and he is convicted and. he is ultimately sentenced to death out. in California, how would his life be.

different on death row as a as opposed. to life in prison? >> So, I haven't done a lot of death row. work, though I've seen some. documentaries and people who visit. people. on death row. Um I saw an interview one time someone. said, "Yeah, I'm convicted, but I may be. here for decades with the stays and. appeals and and and whatnot." So, I. would argue probably more segregated on. death row. You are just in an. environment that is so rare and. uncommon. So, I can't speak to it. specifically other than. very little freedom, very little.

rehabilitation taking place, right? Most. people who go to prison have a release. date, so they're trying to prepare for a. law-abiding life upon release, growing. their network, connecting with family, building a record, trying to get parole. in the state system or trying to get out. early in the federal prison system, not. recidivating and go back. When you are. never leaving prison, they're going to. bring you out of there in a box, it. changes your adjustment, and you try to. find meaning elsewhere. That could. include mentoring prisoners if he's able. to. Indeed, people serving life in. prison will do that. But whether it's a. high-security penitentiary for the rest.

of his life or death row, it will be a. very difficult adjustment given his. prior life. And I presume he'll continue. to find meaning and faith and religion. through this. It helps people make sense. of what the hell they've done. >> Justin Paperny, thank you so much. Really appreciate it. >> Good to see you. >> And that's all we have for you right now. here on Sidebar, everybody. Thank you so. much for joining us. And as always, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple. Podcast, Spotify, wherever you should. get your podcast. You can also check us. out on NBC's [music] Peacock as well. If. you want to follow me, X, Instagram, my. NewsNation show, Jesse Watters.

Primetime, [music] Monday through. Friday, 11:00 p.m. Eastern. See you next. time, everybody.