Bomb threat before D4vd murder arraignment forces evacuation at courthouse
A bomb threat delayed the arraignment of singer D4vd on charges of murdering and dismembering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas, exposing how celebrity cases now trigger security theater in Los Angeles courts.
A bomb threat forced the evacuation of downtown Los Angeles’s Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center just hours before singer D4vd’s arraignment on first-degree murder charges in the killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas. An anonymous caller dialed 911 before 11 a.m. Monday, prompting LAPD’s bomb squad, a sniffing dog, and fire department units to sweep the building and clear the courtyard.
D4vd, whose real name is David Burke, 21, stands accused of inviting Rivas to his home in April 2025, after which she was never seen alive again. Her dismembered remains were discovered in the trunk of his Tesla five months later. Prosecutors say the motive was protecting his music career from exposure of a sexual relationship that began when she was 13.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman outlined special circumstances including lying in wait, murder for financial gain, and killing a witness. Burke also faces charges of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 and mutilation of human remains. The case had already drawn intense public attention before the threat turned a routine court appearance into a security spectacle.
The timing is no coincidence: the threat arrived on the exact morning prosecutors held a press conference to lay out the gruesome details. While no device was found and the threat was ultimately deemed non-credible, the episode underscores how high-profile cases involving celebrity defendants now reliably produce disruptions that strain law enforcement resources and delay justice for victims’ families.
Burke’s defense has not yet entered a plea. The arraignment, postponed by the evacuation, will eventually proceed in the same building that had to be searched dog by dog. What remains is whether Monday’s anonymous call was a random prank, an attempt to intimidate witnesses, or simply the predictable circus that attaches itself to any case mixing fame, sex, and the murder of a child.
Original reporting: New York Post.
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