Interscope cut D4vd before murder charge, executive testifies
A label executive testified D4vd’s deal ended in December, months before his arrest in the Celeste Rivas case, according to TMZ.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
Interscope Records ended D4vd’s contract in December, months before the singer was arrested and charged in the killing of Celeste Rivas, a label executive testified Wednesday, according to TMZ.
The timing has become a key point in the case. Prosecutors say D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, murdered Rivas in April. Her remains were not found until Sept. 8, when authorities discovered them inside his impounded Tesla, according to TMZ.
TMZ, citing sources with direct knowledge, reported that Interscope stopped promoting D4vd as soon as the label learned about the discovery from the Los Angeles Police Department. The outlet reported that the label kept watching the case as investigators released more information.
Those sources told TMZ the singer remained under contract until December because he had not been arrested or charged during the three months after the remains were found. According to the report, D4vd was not named as a possible suspect until mid-November.
After that, TMZ reported, Interscope decided it could no longer stand behind him, even though he had not yet been taken into custody. The outlet previously reported the label quietly dropped him in December, about four months before his arrest and murder charge.
What the label executive said in court
Louis Poimiroo, Interscope’s senior vice president of finance, testified Wednesday during the second day of D4vd’s preliminary hearing, according to TMZ.
Poimiroo told the court that D4vd’s agreement through Mogul Vision was terminated in December 2025 and that the artist received no payments from the label in 2026, TMZ reported.
The executive also testified about the money tied to the deal. According to TMZ, Poimiroo said the recording agreement had a minimum possible value of $7 million. If Interscope had picked up options for more albums, the deal could have been worth as much as $19 million.
Poimiroo also said the label had a financial stake in D4vd’s brand deals, according to TMZ. Those partnerships included Bose, Hollister, Crocs and AMC.
The charges against D4vd
D4vd is facing one count of murder, one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and one count of unlawful mutilation of human remains, according to TMZ.
He has pleaded not guilty.
The preliminary hearing is examining evidence in the case before any trial. The allegations against D4vd remain unproven in court.
TMZ reported that prosecutors have placed the alleged killing in April, while the discovery of Rivas’ remains came months later in September. The outlet’s account of Interscope’s response centers on what the label knew at each stage and when police information became available.
Interscope has not been accused of wrongdoing in the report. The label’s actions, as described by TMZ’s sources and Poimiroo’s testimony, were tied to the progression of the criminal investigation and the later decision to terminate D4vd’s deal.
This story draws on original reporting from TMZ.