Episode Overview

Episode: BOMBSHELL: D4VD HOME INCINERATOR PURCHASED @ TIME OF CELESTE DEATH?
Podcast: Crime Stories with Nancy Grace
Date: January 6, 2026
Main Theme:
Nancy Grace explores the bombshell revelation that a home incinerator—capable of reducing remains to ash—was purchased by or for David Allen Burke (D4VD) around the time of teenager Celeste Rivas’s suspicious death. The discussion focuses on the timeline of the incinerator's purchase, what evidence was (and wasn’t) collected, and the implications for the homicide grand jury investigation into Burke and his associates. Investigative experts, forensic professionals, private investigators, and a defense attorney dissect unfolding developments and speculate on forthcoming indictments.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Incinerator Discovery and Its Implications

• Timeline and Suspicion

  • Nancy Grace launches into the episode highlighting that D4VD (aka David Allen Burke) is facing a grand jury homicide indictment, focusing on the suspicious timing of a home incinerator’s purchase ([01:11], [06:01]).
  • Celeste Rivas was found decomposing in D4VD's Tesla, with speculation she may have been dismembered or frozen ([01:11]).

• Technical Details of the Incinerator

  • Joe Scott Morgan (forensics professor) explains that the burn cage model ("Dr. Burn") can reach 1600°F—similar to crematory ovens—sufficient to render human remains ([02:44]):

    "A burn cage can burn up to 1600 degrees Fahrenheit, Nancy. That's in the same neighborhood as an actual crematory." — Joe Scott Morgan ([02:44])

  • Such devices are meant for farm use (animal carcasses) and are illegal in Los Angeles due to fire ordinances ([04:45], [05:24]).

• Discovery in the Home

  • Steve Fisher, private investigator, details finding the incinerator inside the rental mansion, still boxed, along with an unused chainsaw—both highly suspicious since tenants were not responsible for maintenance and would not need such equipment ([04:07], [11:10]).

    "It was still packaged…55-pound device which serves no purpose at that house. Immediately raised huge alarm bells." — Steve Fisher ([04:07])

Evidence Chain & Police Shortcomings

• Police Actions and Missed Evidence

  • Steve Fisher reveals law enforcement only photographed these items—they did not seize, fingerprint, or use luminol on them, which Nancy sharply criticizes:

    "Bad, bad police work right there, that they just took pictures… juries want to look at it, touch it, hold it, feel it, smell it, the whole shebang." — Nancy Grace ([14:41])

• Tracing the Purchase

  • The incinerator and chainsaw were not present at a January 19th inspection, but appeared before September, establishing a crucial purchase window nearby the victim’s estimated time of death ([08:11]).
  • Delivery was made to the residence under a fake name; purchase likely executed with anonymous, prepaid Visa/Amex gift cards—adding layers of attempted obfuscation ([13:26]).

    "They were addressed in a fake name…we believe…prepaid gift cards to purchase the items." — Steve Fisher ([12:41])

• Digital Trail

  • Fisher, Fitzgibbons, and Grace all stress the investigative value of tracking online orders, YouTube search history (for how to use the incinerator), and the physical gift card purchase via store or surveillance footage ([06:01], [17:48], [18:32], [19:28]).

    "There is a digital trail…proves a lot." — Nancy Grace ([14:41])

Implications for the Investigation & Grand Jury

• Legal and Investigative Strategy

  • Defense attorney Danny Rubin notes that, while the digital account proves who ordered the incinerator, it doesn’t necessarily prove intent or identity—the defense would look at "who’s got the most to lose" and scrutinize the inner circle ([15:33]):

    "It doesn't necessarily prove who ordered it." — Danny Rubin ([15:33])

  • By using prepaid cards and a fictitious name, the perpetrators attempted to mask their involvement, but left a potentially traceable trail ([19:03]).

• Witness Cooperation

  • The panel discusses the difficulty and necessity of compelling reluctant witnesses to appear before the grand jury, using immunity or contempt orders ([31:09], [32:14]).

• Potential Charges

  • Nancy and Danny analyze how the grand jury will not only weigh murder charges but possibly also evidence tampering, corpse desecration, and conspiracy. The complexity of the evidence may result in multiple individuals being indicted, either directly or as unindicted co-conspirators ([36:17], [40:45]).

    "I think we're going to see a very involved and intricate indictment which deals with the actual death of Celeste and disposing of her body." — Nancy Grace ([37:06])

Forensic Commentary & Investigation Flaws

• Forensic Potential

  • Joe Scott Morgan underscores the power of modern digital and transactional forensics for reconstructing timelines, proving procurement and intent, or identifying "inchoate" (incomplete) offenses ([34:19], [36:17]).

    "With the gift cards in particular…that is something that can be digitally traced…the digital evidence gets granular, and you can put a really tight pin in this thing." — Joe Scott Morgan ([34:19])

• Behavioral and Crime Scene Analysis

  • Karen Stark (psychologist) and Melissa McCarty (journalist) reflect on the suspects’ disorganization, the gruesome dehumanization of the victim, and the improvised, ultimately failed attempt to dispose of her body ([24:24]):

    "It's very telling that there was intent…to get rid of the body without even thinking about this as a person." — Melissa McCarty ([24:25])

Notable Moments & Quotes

• Fake Name and Prepaid Cards ([13:26])

  • "Are you telling me…the home incinerator was addressed to a fake name, but somebody in that house accepted the package?" — Nancy Grace

  • "Yes. Correct." — Steve Fisher

• Critical Law Enforcement Oversights ([14:41])

  • "They did not seize the home incinerator. They did not seize the chainsaw. They did not fingerprint them. They did not luminol them." — Nancy Grace

• On Timelines and Multiple Perpetrators ([39:40])

  • "It's media, social media, cell phone, Tesla, other…GPS tracking devices. They’ve got it down to a timeline that's almost by the minutes." — Danny Rubin

• On the Case's Complexity and Indictment

  • "I think more than one person will be charged at the end of this grand jury." — Melissa McCarty ([40:45])

Emerging Media and Financial Fallout

• D4VD's Music Dropped from Madden NFL 26 ([45:07])
  • Burke’s song removed from the major game’s playlist, signifying reputational and financial loss as the investigation intensifies.

Notable Timestamps / Key Segments

• [01:11] – Nancy Grace introduces the indictment and focus on the incinerator's timing.
• [02:44] – Joe Scott Morgan explains burn cage/cremation temperatures and implications.
• [04:07] – Steve Fisher describes finding the boxed incinerator and chainsaw.
• [06:01] – Discussion of online search history/digital trail as critical evidence.
• [08:11] – Timeline details for when incinerator arrived at home.
• [12:41] – Details emerge that the incinerator was shipped to a fake name.
• [14:41] – Nancy Grace lambastes missed evidence collection opportunities.
• [17:48] – Forensics of online ordering, IP addresses, and digital links.
• [19:28] – Fisher speculates about prepaid gift card use as payment method.
• [24:25] – Psychological insight into the perpetrator’s lack of empathy and planning.
• [36:17] – Analysis of legal implications, including inchoate (attempted) offenses.
• [39:40] – Timeline triangulation using digital media and devices.
• [40:45] – Prediction of multiple indictments based on broad evidence.
• [45:07] – News of D4VD’s music being pulled due to the ongoing criminal probe.

Conclusion: Stakes and What Comes Next

• The episode spotlights crucial new evidence—especially the incinerator and chainsaw, purchased with the clear intention to destroy evidence—that could clinch a homicide indictment.
• The investigative team believes the suspects' disorganization, digital illiteracy, and clumsy cover-up attempts have actually aided the case: as evidence mounts, more than one person may face charges.
• With imminent grand jury findings, Nancy Grace and her panel stress that—despite procedural missteps by the LAPD—there’s still ample forensic and digital evidence to build a case against Burke and potential co-conspirators.

"I think we're going to see a very involved and intricate indictment…dealing with both the death of Celeste and the attempted destruction of her body." — Nancy Grace ([37:06])