D4vd Tesla Body Case Deepens as New Video Surfaces

New footage has just circulated of. possibly David [music] and Celeste Rivas. Hernandez, the girl whose body was found. in his car. If true, what does this tell. us? Welcome to Sidebar, presented by Law. and Crime. I'm [music] Jesse Weber. We have another layer to this David. Celeste Rivas Hernandez case that we. want to talk about. Apparently, potentially video of them together. Now, why does this matter? Well, considering. the body of 14-year-old Celeste was. found in the trunk of a Tesla registered.

to singer David, David Anthony Burke. back in September, and understanding the. relationship, that becomes key. Now, there's been online speculation about. the two of them. TMZ has reported that. those in the Romantic Homicide singer's. inner circle believed she was 19 years. old, that they were hanging out. He's. 20, by the way. The New York Post. reporting that in a 2023 song, David. raps, "Oh, Celeste, the girl with my. name tattooed on her chest, smell her on. my clothes like cigarettes." And. speaking of tattoos, it was reported. that Celeste and David each have these.

matching shatto on their fingers. That. actually seems to be how her decomposed. remains were IDed. Now, there were. reports that she is a runaway, speculation that she was trying to see. David. And despite all of this, there is. no established connection or association. or relationship that has been confirmed. by authorities investigating Celeste's. death. In fact, there is no confirmed. suspect or person of interest, even a. cause of death for Celeste. But what has.

just come out? What are we talking. about? This 32 clip from what seems to. be a Twitch live stream. And now we. don't know for sure when it was. recorded, but it was apparently posted. on social media back in September. And. it is really making waves right now. >> Trained you. >> No, you didn't. >> That's controversial. >> It's controversial of raping kids. >> No, I need. >> really good. It's been a It's been a. good one. Bye.

>> Bye guys. Mwah. Oh my. Delete everything. Delete. Delete everything. Everything goes. Everything goes. Everything. Now, something I have to say on top of the. fact that David, okay, has not been. arrested, criminally charged or. officially implicated in any crime or. wrongdoing connection with Celeste's. death. Her death certificate confirms. she was not pregnant at the time of her. death, nor in the year leading up to her. death. And while law enforcement hasn't. even officially confirmed that Celeste. was killed, in other words, was there a.

crime beyond someone putting her body. into that car, if she was killed, if she. was murdered, why? Now, before we dive. any further into how this live stream. may affect the investigation, I just. want to play you something real quick. We interviewed in our previous episode. of Sidebar Steve Fischer, the private. investigator who was hired by the. landlord of the property that David was. apparently staying at in Los Angeles. If. you recall, authorities searched that. property. David moved his stuff out. The. Tesla with Celeste body was near that.

place, too. Listen to what Fiser had to. say as we try to understand the. potential connection between David and. Celeste. >> We now uh have a much better. understanding of when that Tesla arrived. at that final parking spot. Um, I'll. tell you, I do have surveillance from. different houses in the neighborhood. showing the Tesla being moved. >> Do you know who was driving that car? That Tesla? You don't have to tell me, but do you know the identity? >> Yeah. Um, as far as it going to the. final that what we believe is the final. parking spot to where it was towed from.

Yes. >> Do you know if Celeste was ever at that. property? >> You know, what we recovered, we don't. have any of her at that property. We. have pictures of her and that were taken. by David. Um, we assume because it's. it's not on a camera phone, but these. photos are on a regular camera um at. different locations. And it really makes. me think that it's likely she had. another place she was staying there. I. can tell you that there was um a lot of. time spent towards downtown LA. But I.

will say this, there are some things. that um and I'm talking physical. evidence that was at that house that is. [clears throat]. there could have been greater plans as. far as getting rid of her. And it's. scary sadistic stuff. It's it's um and. and that's why we're we're we're trying. to learn more about that because um and. I wish I could I wish I could say more, but for obvious reasons I can't. But but.

and it doesn't have to do with her how. she died, but maybe what how they were. planning on ultimately getting rid of. her and how maybe that Tesla was just a. holding spot at the time and things. just, you know, their timing was just. off as far as getting this done. But. there's some there's a few things that. were just like will blow your mind. >> Okay, so now let me bring in Dave. Sarnney, retired NYPD detective, adjunct. professor at John J. College of Criminal. Justice. Dave, thanks so much for coming. back here. What do you make of this new.

footage? >> Well, this is Well, thank you for having. me, Bill. This is another, you know, this we always talk about cases having. legs. This has a lot of legs, but. they're not going anywhere. They're. going in different directions. And when. you see this uh video and you're hearing. about this the first time and the way he. actually reacts to this, is there. something to what Celeste said on that. video? So, this is going to maybe now. continue another investigation dealing. with him, dealing with children. And it. has been speculated, it's been this way. for a while, that most of the fans that.

know David and all through the internet. that he met her at the age of 12 and. somehow he groomed her. This is all. speculation of course, but we're seeing. is this a pattern of David to do to deal. with children to deal with kids in. general. We don't know if it's female. kids, male kids, we don't really know, but that comes out and he the reaction. of him you know that's where you feel. that there's a possibility that might be. happening. So now we have to look at it. that way. >> Let me just confirm what you're saying. A, do you believe police are looking at. this video or have they looked at it and. try to analyze it? And B, are you.

suggesting even though, let's be clear, there's speculation he hasn't officially. been charged or implicated in any crime. When we look at why hasn't there been a. person of interest or suspect or arrest, that potentially there could be. something bigger that law enforcement is. looking into. >> I think every look at every avenue in. this investigation because this is what. happens. You're hoping the detectives. and investigators are looking. You know, this is another part of the puzzle. It. may be part of this particular puzzle. about why Celeste's body was in that car. and who put her there, but it's. something else to look at because you.

have no criminal charges right now based. on all you may have is tampered with. physical evidence and disposal even. body. Now, you we're looking they're. waiting for toxicology to come back. Right now, this case is considered a. copy. In New York, we'd call it a copy. Circumstances unknown pending police. investigation. The Emmy's office in. California call it unspecified or. undetermined. So, we're looking at that. This is another avenue to look at and. I'm hoping that law enforcement is. looking at this and looking at David on. that other end. If this comes out and. this is what Celeste said on video and. his reaction, this is what comes down. to. It wasn't he delete everything. So,

this is something to look at uh parallel. to the investigation of Celeste. Celeste's death. >> Hey guys, I'm so pumped to tell you. about today's sponsor. It is a brand. called Wild Grain. Now, Wild Grain is. the first bake from frozen subscription. box for artisal breads, seasonal. pastries, fresh pastas. Wild Grain. products, they bake in 25 minutes or. less, but that doesn't mean that. they're, you know, skimping on quality. Unlike store-bought products, Wild Grain. uses a slow fermentation process that's. easier on your belly and richer in. nutrients and antioxidants. Wild Grains.

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Or you can use promo code sidebar at. checkout. Don't miss their seasonal. products. There could have been greater. plans as far as getting rid of her and. it's scary sadistic stuff. >> Big news on the David Celeste Rivas. Hernandez case. We now know who the. private investigator is that was hired. by the Hollywood Hills landlord for the. home that David had [music] been staying. at, right by where the Tesla was found. with Celeste body inside. Well, we just. sat down with this [music] investigator. himself, Steve Fischer, about what he.

has learned so far, what we can expect. next. Let me tell you, it is shocking. [music] Welcome to Sidebar, presented by. Law and Crime. I'm Jesse Weber. All right, so you remember [music] that. we told you that the Hollywood Hills. landlord, the property manager for that. property that David the singer had been. staying at? That that property owner, that landlord had hired a private. investigator to look into the death of. 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the. teen found dismembered in David's. abandoned Tesla that was nearby. Well,

not only do we know who this private. investigator is, but I just interviewed. him. Yes, you're going to see him on. this episode, and I'm recording this. introduction after I interviewed him. And let me just say, he reveals a lot. Okay. A lot. Now, this may not provide. all the answers, but I will tell you, if. you are listening to what he has to say, you're starting to get a better picture. of a lot of things. Okay? So, this PI. himself, Steve Fischer, we'll play that.

interview in a minute. Now, quick. refresher. So, police raided this $3.64. million home, which David had reportedly. been paying tens of thousand dollars in. rent. We know that Celeste's body was. found in the trunk of his impounded. Tesla back in September, that the Tesla. was near this property. And to be clear, since then, there's been no suspects. that have been named, no persons of. interest, no arrest. David has canceled. his tour. He's moved out of that. mansion. He has transferred properties. that he owned in Texas to his mother. The whole thing has been a lot of.

unanswered questions. And that is where. this LA landlord, apologies if I'm. mispronouncing the name here, Malden. Trouvenich stepped in. He wasn't content. to sit back and just wait for the LAPD. So, he brought in his own private. investigator to start digging, to get. some more answers. We've talked about. that in a previous episode, but now we. actually know who that investigator is, Steve Fischer. I'm going to play you. that interview. It is something. But let. me just say real quick, pin down exactly. what this case is about. This all. started on September 8th when LAPD.

officers were called to a towyard on. Mansfield Avenue in Hollywood after. workers noticed this foul odor coming. from a Tesla that had been sitting. there. That car was registered to. 20-year-old singer David, real named. David Anthony Burke, the Houston born. artist behind the hit Romantic Homicide. That Tesla had been abandoned near the. Hollywood Hills rental property, towed. away and was just sitting there. And. when officers opened the front trunk, they found something horrific. human. remains wrapped in plastic. And a few. days later, it was confirmed that that.

body belonged to 14-year-old Celeste. Riva Hernandez, a teen runaway who had. been missing from Lake Elsenor since. April of 2024. Her remains were. decomposed, suggesting that she had been. in that car for weeks. The cause of. death is still officially deferred. Now, while David is not being considered at. this point officially as a suspect or. even a person of interest, the internet. started connecting the dots or seemingly. connecting alleged dots between David. and Celeste. Screenshots from Discord. chats, live stream clips, old photos. started circulating, all suggesting that.

they had been in contact, maybe they. were even some kind of relationship. TMZ. had reported those that were close to. David thought that Celeste was 19 years. old, that maybe there was a relationship. going on, and fans have pointed out that. both she and David had that same small. shoo on their fingers. And if that. wasn't eerie enough, David has this. unreleased song with Celeste in the. title that's been reported. Everything. has unraveled for David since the. discovery. There's been a canceled tour. date, pause on promotions for his. upcoming album, drop brand deals, and. while all of this is happening, David.

has been making some major legal and. financial moves. He's retained Blair. Burke, the powerhouse Hollywood defense. attorney who's represented people like. Harvey Weinstein. David transferred the. deeds to two Texas properties to his. mother right after one of those houses. was apparently swatted. This false. reporting of a shooting and a dead body. there. But now, let's get to it. Okay, let's circle back to that Hollywood. Hills rental property. How a private. investigator, a PI, even got involved in. this case. So, according to LA magazine, police had executed a search warrant on.

that property back on September 17th. So, since David had been renting it for. reportedly about $20,000 a month, a home. that was owned by a man named Malden. Triffinich. And officers reportedly. collected electronics, computers, they. searched the drains for traces of blood. or tissue. At least that's the reporting. from TMZ. Can't officially confirm that. But this homeowner had said that after. he'd heard almost nothing from the LAPD. about what they found, he was. frustrated. And that is when he made his. move and hired his own PI. He told TMZ. and the Daily Mail that his family.

wanted answers about what might have. happened in or around this home and that. he wasn't trying to interfere with the. police investigation. He just didn't. want to be left in the dark about what. connections, if any, his property could. have to all this. And TMZ reports that. the LAPD has since seized surveillance. footage from the same home. cameras that. could show exactly who entered or exited. the property. Now, this homeowner. reportedly told the outlet that he. hasn't even seen the footage himself out. of respect for his tenants privacy. He. also claims the police still haven't. given him a copy of the warrant or told.

him exactly what they took. So, the big. question now is what exactly happened in. or around that home, right? And whether. the private investigator hired by this. landlord, this property owner, has found. anything that could shed light on that. timeline. And that is where we're. heading next. Okay, just one more thing. before we get to him. Something that. we've learned. LA County District. Attorney Nathan Hawkman spoke out, confirmed the case is still under. investigation. No case has been. presented to his office yet. We're going. to get into that a little bit, but now I. want to bring on our special guest. I'm. joined by private investigator Steve.

Fiser, who was hired by David's former. landlord. Um, really, really appreciate. you taking the time here to talk about. this. First off, Steve, um, how were you. hired? How were you retained in this. matter? So, uh, originally when the case, uh, when the body was originally found, I. had another missing person's case going. in LA of a female and we thought that. that could be that individual. Uh, and. so I kind of stayed with the case for a.

little while until she was identified. and we knew it wasn't. And I had. discovered some other things such as. when the car was towed and photos from. it being towed and whatnot. And you. know, the owner had gotten in touch with. me of the house and uh I shared some. things with him and and uh it just kind. of evolved from there. But one thing, you know, I would say is um he is the. owner of the house. He wasn't David's. landlord. David wasn't even on the. lease, you know, and and the owner never. even knew that David was in the house. It was actually Josh Marshall, his.

manager, who had leased the house. >> But to be clear, David was living there, right? >> Yes, he he was definitely staying there. It just was not known to the owner. >> Right. Okay. And by the way, I I. understand this is, you know, an active. investigation. There might be limited. what you can share, but what exactly is. he looking for in this? What exactly is. this property owner? What kind of. answers is he looking for? >> So, where really kind of evolved from.

was uh the search warrant was served, I. believe, on the 17th or 18th, and it was. a force entry uh search warrant, meaning. that nobody was home at the time. and um they did not leave uh a copy of. the warrant or of the return the. inventory list of the items that they. took from the house. And it was really. kind of born out of that. We I um was. not officially retained at that time, but I I helped him try to obtain that. and we told Robbery Homicide, "Hey, listen, you know, no warrant was left.

behind." David was out on tour. Josh. Marshall lives out of state, we found. out. So the owner had his representative. go to the house uh immediately after he. found out about this and there was no. warrant, no return. He really just wants. to understand what of his property could. have been taken and what the status of. that is. And then also this is. troublesome when you learn something. like this. All of a sudden you're thrown. into this and he feels absolutely. horrible for Celeste Celeste family and. he's like you know if there's anything. that involves you know in around my.

house that that um could help then I. want to discover that. And I'll tell you. that there have been things that that. we've learned that and we've turned. right over to LAPD, but we think there's. significant um you know, things that. that could help. >> Do you mean that there might be evidence. that a crime was committed at that. house? >> Not so much a crime. No. And. [clears throat] I'll tell I'll just be. honest with you. We don't have any any. evidence that anything happened to us at. that house, but there is definitely.

evidence that we've collected that helps. the timeline. Uh we now have a much. better understanding of when that Tesla. arrived at that final parking spot. I'll. tell you, I do have surveillance from. different houses in the neighborhood. showing the Tesla being moved. So things. like that, like and I'm not even saying. that LAPD didn't have that. I'm sure. they did, but we wanted to make sure. and, you know, and we did some work and. on the upresing the footage to find out. who was driving the vehicle. And there.

are some other items that were found at. the house that weren't taken during the. search warrant. And, you know, search. warrants are limited, right, that they. can't just go take everything. It's what. the judge, you know, and we don't know. how broad that search warrant was. because we haven't seen it. And that's. what we'd like to see. But there were. some things that were not taken into. custody of LAPD that we think are. significant and um including digital. media and some other things that really. helped nail down timeline and things. like that. >> And you handed and you handed that over. to LAPD. There's other. >> we have the day literally the day that.

we um the things that we've recovered. we've given to um LAPD within 24 hours. You know, >> do. do you know who was driving that car, that Tesla? You don't have to tell me, but do you know the identity? >> Yeah. Um I you know, as far as it going. to the final that what we believe is the. final parking spot where it was towed. from. Uh yes. >> And that information's been communicated. to law enforcement. >> So, it's been given to law enforcement. They don't they're not going to tell us.

if they're confirming if if that's a. person or not. Robbery, homicide, the. way they work is we'll take your. information. we're not gonna speak on. it, you know. So, I don't know. But. listen, it's very clear that that. neighborhood is filled with um. surveillance cameras and uh the. timelines once you once we learn those. dates and we can see other things that. were happening that were even public on. Instagram and whatnot were going on in. those people's lives, it makes a lot of. sense. 6 weeks after the tragic. discovery of teenager Celeste Rivas.

Hernandez's body in a Tesla [music]. linked to rising singer David, the. investigation is now taking a new turn. Frustrated by what he calls a lack of. information from police, the owner of. the Hollywood Hills mansion, where. [music] David had apparently been. staying, has hired a private. investigator to dig into the property, review surveillance, [music] interview. potential witnesses in hopes of. uncovering critical details that may. have gone unnoticed. We are going to be. speaking to the former Natalie Holloway. private [music] investigator TJ Ward to. break down what this kind of private.

investigation can reveal and what we can. expect. Welcome to Sidebar, presented by. Law and Crime. I'm Jesse Weber. The investigation into Houston born. singer David, real name David Anthony. Burke, is taking yet another turn. Weeks. after the body of 14-year-old Celeste. Rivas Hernandez was found decomposed. inside of a Tesla that was reportedly. registered to him, there is now a new. development. A development that could. shift the entire focus of this case. Has.

to do with the Los Angeles home that. David was apparently renting out just. before the discovery of the body in the. Tesla. Someone is reportedly being. brought in behind the scenes to dig for. answers. And we're going to get to that. But first, here's how all this began. Okay. September 8th, LAPD officers were. called to a Hollywood towyard on. Mansfield Avenue after workers noticed a. foul odor coming from a Tesla that was. registered out of Texas. The vehicle had. reportedly been abandoned in the. Hollywood Hills days earlier and was.

towed. When officers opened the front. trunk, that is when they made a. horrifying discovery. Human remains. wrapped in plastic. The Los Angeles. County Medical Examiner later identified. the dismembered body of 14-year-old. Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been. reported missing from Riverside County. in April of 2024. According to. authorities, Celeste remains were badly. decomposed. So, this is possibly. suggesting that she had been in that car. for an extended period of time. To be.

clear, her official cause of death. remains deferred at this point. There. appears to be more testing that needs to. be done, but at the time she. disappeared, there were rumors that were. circulating linking Celeste to David, this rising singer. There was apparent. Discord chat screenshots and fan. speculation suggesting that she had been. in contact with him and they may have. been in some sort of relationship. despite the age difference, 20 years.

old. Celeste's family told NBC Los. Angeles that her 15th birthday was the. day before her body was found, that she. had disappeared after leaving home to. see a movie. One detail that immediately. drew attention is that Celeste. reportedly had a tattoo on her finger. that read. This is a design that. appeared almost identical to one seen in. photos of David's own hand. Since the. discovery, the fallout for David has. been swift and it's been severe. both of. his remaining US tour dates, San.

Francisco, Los Angeles, they were. cancelled along with multiple European. shows that were listed on ticket master. A planned Grammy Museum appearance in LA. also quietly vanished from the venue. site. His label, Innercope Records, confirmed to TMZ that all promotional. activities, including his deluxe album. release, has been paused. His brand. deals falling apart. He was featured in. this Hollister and Crocs collaboration. that has apparently been scrubbed from. the campaign days after the launch. In a. brief statement, a spokesperson said the. singer is cooperating fully with.

authorities, though no arrests have been. made. David has not been implicated in. any wrongdoing. He is not facing any. crimes. He hasn't been charged. He isn't. an official suspect. And he's been. silent publicly. We now know that he's. retained a powerhouse criminal defense. attorney, Blair Burke, who has. represented a number of celebrities. No. statement from her or from David's team. so far. And as of now, six weeks after. this grim discovery, there have been no. arrests. There's been no publicly named. suspects, no confirmed cause of death.

As I said, no confirmed persons of. interest. They haven't even identified. the exact connection between Celeste and. David. And this situation, I will tell. you, is rapidly evolving. And it seems. behind the scenes because now in the. weeks since Celeste's body was found, there are new details that are beginning. to surface. Sources confirm that a. private investigator has now entered the. picture and it could change what we know. about who's really driving this case.

forward and why it might be driving it. forward. I'm going to get to that. But. first, to help us break it all down, I. want to bring on a special guest. I'm. joined right now by private investigator. TJ Ward, who by the way was the PI on. the Natalie Holloway case. TJ, thank you. so much for taking the time. Really. appreciate it. >> Oh, you're very welcome. Thank you for. having me. Now, based on your. experience, and we're going to get into. this new update in a minute, but based. on your experience with missing teen. cases, what are the early investigative. red flags that you would have noticed.

that you would have caught on to uh or. highlighted in this one in Celeste Rivas. Hernandez's disappearance, the online. rumors connecting her to David? Well, we. need one of the things that you need to. do after a law enforcement gets involved. is start looking at the everybody that's. involved. You have to start looking at. those people and who who they may think. may be involved or what may be involved. So, um obviously this body was found in. the trunk of of this man's car. And now.

one of the things that we have that is. kind of unique is there's cameras. everywhere. So looking at cameras and. finding if there was cameras near where. his car was or how his car got there or. or where it may have been is real. important. But even when I get involved. in cases when I get hired I always look. into the person that hired me. I start. looking into them also. It's real. important. You need to see you need to.

find a background out about the person. that wants to hire you and why. And let. me tell you why I tell you that um I. have been hired or tried to get hired on. people that have protective orders. against them and they want to hire me to. find out what's going on with the person. they have a protective order against. them. So you have to be real careful and. look at the person that's hiring you. also to be able to get into a case. You. don't you don't want to get caught up in. something of that nature. That's what. brought my attention several years ago.

when I tried somebody tried to hire me. when they actually had a protective. order against them. And um so I I. started looking at everybody that hires. me, I look into them first and see. what's going on with them. That leads me. perfectly into what's happening right. now because the new focus seems to. involve this LA home that David. reportedly rented for tens of thousands. of dollars a month prior to Celeste's. body being found. And this leads to a. new new development I want to get into. So TMZ reports that a private.

investigator has been brought into this. in some way. Not by law enforcement. note that the owner of this Hollywood. Hills mansion where Burke was staying. has reportedly hired his own PI after. growing frustrated with the lack of. information from the LAPD. So on. September 8th, let's let's put in. context here. September 8th, the. decomposed remains of 14-year-old. Celeste Riva Hernandez were discovered. wrapped in plastic in the front trunk of. Burk's impounded Tesla. September 17th,

LAPD homicide detectives, they executed. a search warrant on a reported $4.1. million Hollywood Hills rental property. that David was reportedly staying at. when Celeste body was found. And this is. reportedly near where the Tesla was. the. owner of that property identified as. Maldin uh Trifanovich, apologies if I'm. mispronouncing the name, he reportedly. told the Daily Mail that he has only. limited contact with police and is. deeply concerned about what role his.

property may have played in all this. And this is why he has now taken. independent action. And according to. reporting from multiple outlets, he has. hired a private investigator to review. surveillance footage and interview. potential witnesses to establish a. timeline of events and determine if and. when Celeste was at this property. In a. statement, he told the Daily Mail, "I. have a private investigator gathering. information because my family and I want. to understand what may or may not have. happened in or around a home that is. very special to us. We are not.

interfering with the LAPD's. investigation. we are simply seeking. answers I fear may not be communicated. to us unless we use a licensed. investigator. And he later added to TMZ. that the PI's work is still ongoing and. that it's still early in the process. TJ, your reaction? >> Well, that I believe that that's a smart. thing to do because they don't know from. this point what law enforcement has or. what their intentions are. So whatever.

whatever reason this guy who's now been. implicated may be of this death of this. girl was in the back of his car. It's. real important to find out. And I think. you told me that LAPD issued a search. warrant to go into the home and and to. search the home. Well, what did what. were they looking for? What did they. find? And what did they remove from the. home? So for this homeowner to. incorporate a private investigator would. be a very smart and tactical thing to do. to protect himself about this home.

because now this home has become a a. piece of evidence in the course of this. investigation for whatever reason. So. this investigator needs to find out what. is the reason and what what did they. find? What did they take out of the. house and what are they looking for? So. this is real important. And I'm sure. they got the copy of the search warrant. and the return on the search warrant. which would would tell the public. exactly or law enforcement what they. took out of the house and what they did.

>> Why did singer David just transfer two. properties to his mother amid the. investigation into the death of Celeste. [music] Rivas Hernandez, the young girl. whose decomposed body was found in his. car. Does this have to do with a recent. apparent swatting incident at his. parents house? Is there something else. going on here? Is this suspicious? Is. [music] it strategic? Let's discuss. Welcome to Sidebar, presented by Law and. Crime. I'm Jesse Weber. Okay, so we have this new development in. the continuing story of singer David,

who has been in the news quite a lot. lately since the body of 14-year-old. Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found in a. Tesla that was registered to his name. This was back on September 8th out in. LA. We have been covering every aspect. of this story as currently there are no. arrests. There are no identified persons. of interest. There's no identified. suspects. There's no released cause and. manner of death. And when it comes to. David, who authorities haven't. officially confirmed what the exact.

connection or relationship he has to. Celeste, even though there has been. speculation and reporting that the two. were romantically involved, while he. hasn't been implicated in any wrongdoing. or any crime, there is a lot of. interesting stuff that has been going on. that we have been trying to piece. together to see if it has any connection. to the investigation into Celeste's. death. And that includes with respect to. David's parents and what David. reportedly did with that house that we. need to talk about. Also another. property. So on September 18th, we've.

talked about this. This is after. Celeste's body was found. Someone called. 911 to David's parents house in. Hemstead, Texas and what appears to be a. fake report. This alleged swatting. incident. Waller County Sheriff's Office. is Amber. >> Hello. >> Hello. >> Yeah. Waller County Sheriff's Office. >> Um, hello. I need help. >> Okay. What's going on? Where you at? >> Oh, my address is.

>> Okay. What's going on? >> Um, I heard like some like gunshots. >> Okay. How close to your residence were. they? Um, they were like right outside. my house and I think someone's dead. >> Okay. What's your name? >> Say it again. >> What's your name? >> Okay. What's a good phone number for. you, sir? >> Okay. And why do you believe that. somebody's dead?

>> I just heard like a loud scream and. there was um gunshots. >> Scream. Okay. After shot. Okay. Okay. But you haven't saw or heard anything. else after that? >> Uh, I heard a scream. >> Oh, was it a male or a female scream, do. you think? >> Sounds like a female. >> Female. >> Okay, we're going to go ahead and get. deputies headed out that way and just. confirming you're at. >> Yes. >> Okay. I'm going to get them sent that. way. Okay. >> Okay. Thank you. >> You're welcome. Bye-bye. >> We actually interviewed an audio expert.

who concluded that this call was in fact. distorted. Someone masking their voice. It's on a previous episode of Sidebar. play a little bit of it in a little bit. But police, they ended up showing up to. this house. >> It ain't on their phone. >> And that's not a this is not a that's. not a Texas. Uh. >> yeah, that's an out of state number. >> Someone's messing with us. >> Someone's missing. >> But but whoever it would pinged here, though, because wherever they call from, it pings and sends it to dispatch. >> What the what? >> So like whenever you call 911, wherever. you are, >> it sends a it sends like a ping to let.

that's how they know the address. And this address and this address came. up to this number. >> Yes, ma'am. That's where he was meeting. >> So, is that somebody on my property? Um, >> it could be. We'll check the property. for you. Yes, please. >> So, we'll ride around. Uh, if you give. me a layout, how is it? How's the. property? >> Like, does it go further back? Like, >> no. No, it doesn't go any further back. It's right here. The fence. They got the. gate and the fence around the fence.

Okay. Well, him and I will ride around. and check and then uh we'll leave and. I'll put the pin back cuz all you did is. pull that pin and then pull I'll put it. all back together. Thank you, sir. >> But yeah, no, I'll take it apart cuz. when something like that when somebody. says something like that, we got to get. up here to save somebody's life, you. know. >> Yeah. Okay. So, that was a false alarm. You see, I don't like this kind of. thing. But if I really do have an. emergency, then. >> Okay. Thank you, ma'am. Sorry. >> If you do have an emergency, you know,

we're going to be here. >> We're going to get here. Okay, >> thank you. Appreciate it. >> All right, you have a good night. >> And now we got to talk about what is. being reported. Okay, so according to. TMZ, David has transferred deeds of two. Texas homes to a trust in his mother's. name. That this apparently happened on. September 18th and September 22nd. September 18th was the day of this. alleged swatting incident. And that home. appears to be one of the properties that. we're talking about. So, why did he do.

this in the middle of a death. investigation? Time to bring in Matthew. Selson, trial attorney, to talk more. about this. Matthew, thank you so much. for taking the time. Why did he do it? Why do you think he did it? Thanks for having me. So, I have I have. two suspicions as to why he did this. You know, this case, you guys have been. covering this from the start. This is. getting crazier and crazier uh by the. minute. I have two suspicions as to why. he did it, and both of them have to do. with asset protection. old-fashioned, I. want to preserve my assets in the event. something happens to me. If he is.

charged criminally, and obviously we're. speculating, but if he were to be. charged criminally, there would be a. monetary fine as part of any potential. punishment. If he doesn't have the. assets to pay the fine, then he can't. pay the fine. So, one thing to do is get. rid of your assets and put them in. someone else's name. The other side to. this is related, which is, is there. going to be a civil lawsuit? Celeste's. family could file a wrongful death. lawsuit against him and others. It's a. little premature because there's still a. lot of unanswered questions about this,

but if they were to file a civil. lawsuit, he could essentially try to. hide assets in his mother's name or in. anyone else's name for that matter. Whether he's successful is a whole. different conversation. [snorts]. >> Bunch of questions with that. By the. way, this is exactly what I suspected. too might be going on. Let's be clear. about something though. can, you know, transferring these assets in. the middle of a death investigation. um as opposed to two years ago or a year.

ago, right? >> Could a court look at this and say this. was a deliberate attempt to what you say. concealing assets and they could breach. it. They could pierce it. They could say. even though that you've transferred this. into your mother's name, that was. invalid. This is a way for, let's say, a. plaintiff who sues him or let's say in a. um a criminal judgment to to to pay that. fine. Can a court look at that and say, even though you transferred it, it's. still open season on those properties? >> Yeah, this is what's so puzzling about.

this. It is a very basic premise of uh. of law throughout the country that you. can't transfer assets after the event. happens that would otherwise trigger. collecting on those assets. So, we have. rules in different states. Sometimes. they're called fraudulent transfers. Sometimes they're called fraudulent. conveyances. There's a lot of different. names for them. But the crux of it is. you cannot transfer assets to protect. yourself from a creditor when the event. the triggering event in this case the. death of Celeste happens prior to this.

happened just in the last several days. versus her death which I'm not even sure. we know exactly when her death was but. clearly these transfers are after her. death. So, it would take little effort. for a court to undo this transaction and. rule that it is a collectible asset of. David. >> Be clear about something else. We don't. know 100% why he did this, right? And. I'll go to some other theories, but. perhaps it is does have something to do.

with this case regarding Celeste. If he. did this in anticipation of a criminal. action or he did this in anticipation of. a lawsuit, to be clear, that doesn't. necessarily mean that he's guilty. That. doesn't necessarily mean that he's. liable. It doesn't necessarily mean that. he did something here. It would just be. an anticipation of what could happen, right? Because he could come out and. say, "I'm being falsely accused. I'm. just doing what I have to do to protect. myself." But that doesn't necessarily. uh what we say in the law. It's not. consciousness of guilt. Right. >> Well, I'm not sure I entirely agree. I.

think. >> Okay, that's fair. could yeah I think. you could make an argument and depending. on how it comes into evidence you could. have admissible evidence against him. that is it is essentially an admission. of wrongdoing or an admission of. liability now if there's a criminal case. he can't be called to the stand and say. hey David why'd you do this right he has. fifth amendment protections he'd never. take the stand but that doesn't prevent. his mother from taking the stand and. nothing insulates mom so they could. depose mom and say why did David do this.

did he ever tell you why he did this and. all of his conversations, all of his. text communications with mom or anyone. else, those would be admissible. evidence. So, I have a feeling if they. dig, and I suspect they're going to dig, you'll probably find some communication. that is admissible and can eventually be. used against him. Again, speculating, look, if he's I hate saying this, but if. he's innocent, he has nothing to hide. That's such a sort of a a weird terrible. cliche that sometimes people say. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> So obviously if he if he didn't do.

anything, if there's no judgment entered. against him in a civil case or if. there's no fine levied against him as. part of a criminal conviction, then. yeah, the conveyance is fine and nothing. will eventually happen. I just I think. the circumstantial evidence here is that. something did run a foul uh of of. David's life and that's why he did this. >> Would his mother have to testify about. this transfer? >> Yeah, his mother would have to testify. The lawyers who did the transaction. would have to testify. the lawyers who. drafted the trust documents might have.

to testify depending on how these. documents were created. I kind of want. to see those documents because were. these properties in a trust to begin. with, but he was the beneficiary of the. trust and the deed was simply in the. name of the trust. If that's the case. and he simply transferred the. beneficiary, it's still a fraudulent. conveyance. It's still going to be. undone if there's eventually a judgment. against him. Or did he create the trust. for the purpose of this particular. conveyance? And if he did, that trust. document probably would have been. created in the last few weeks. I want to.

know how that trust document came into. existence. A whole lot of people are. going to have to testify about that. >> And real quick, why put it in a trust as. opposed to just, I don't know, selling. the properties to his mom. >> Yeah, that's a great question. There. there is a belief in this country. I I. do this a lot. There is a belief in this. country that if you just put your assets. in a trust, they're somehow protected. And the truth is, the reality is almost. all trusts are breakable at some level. Even the most ownorfic offshore trusts,

you see this all the time with offshore. trust in the Caribbean or offshore. European trusts, you can eventually. break those trusts. It's very hard. It's. very expensive. So, I suspect he sort of. just said, "Let's just put it in a trust. where it won't be immediately reachable. I don't know if it's a revocable trust, if it's an irrevocable trust. If it's a. revocable trust, he can simply revoke. the trust and take his assets back. It. would take one sentence. He can just. write, "I hereby revoke the trust, sign. his name, the assets go back to him." If. it's in an irrevocable trust, he can't.

do that because by definition, it's. irrevocable. It can be undone by a court. if it was fraudulent, but there's all. kinds of tax implications for a. revocable trust versus an irrevocable. trust. I'm not sure why he did this. except I suspect this was sort of a. basic low-level attempted asset. protection that I don't think is going. to provide much protection in the.