D4vd murder: Interscope dropped singer before arrest

Interscope Records continued to work with singer D4vd for eight months after he allegedly murdered Celeste Rivas. While that may sound shocking, insiders explain that the label acted based on information available from the LAPD at each stage.

Prosecutors claim D4vd killed Celeste in April, but her body was not discovered until September 8, when her remains were found in his impounded Tesla. At that point, Interscope immediately halted promotion of the artist, according to sources. The contract remained in place until December, but that's because he wasn't arrested or charged during those three months.

It wasn't until mid-November that D4vd (born David Anthony Burke) was named as a possible suspect. After that, the label could no longer justify its association with him and, as previously reported, quietly dropped him in December — four months before he was arrested and charged with Celeste's murder.

Sources say the label was closely monitoring the case and took it seriously, ultimately deciding to do what felt morally right even though he wasn't in handcuffs at that point. Louis Poimiroo, Interscope's senior vice president of finance, testified Wednesday on Day 2 of D4vd's preliminary hearing, confirming the contract was terminated in December 2025 and no payments were made in 2026.

The recording agreement had a minimum potential value of $7 million and could have reached $19 million if Interscope exercised options for additional albums. The label also received a cut from brand partnerships with Bose, Hollister, Crocs, and AMC. Those revenue streams have now ended.

D4vd is charged with one count each of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. He has pleaded not guilty. The case continues to unfold, and the hearings are likely to draw more attention to how the industry responds to such allegations against artists.