UPDATE (8/25/20, 7:45 PM ET): Daniel Silva, 27, has been sentenced to “364 days in jail, five years of formal probation, 250 hours of community service and a suspended prison sentence of four years,” the Los Angeles County District Attorney announced on Aug. 25. The Ink Master star was sentenced for driving and crashing his McLaren sports car in a tree, thus “killing Corey James Labarrie” on May 10, according to the prosecutor. In July, Daniel entered a “no contest plea last month to one felony count of gross vehicular manslaughter,” according to Deputy District Attorney Yasmin Fardghassemi.
UPDATE (5/19/20, 5:13 PM ET): Former Ink Master star Daniel Silva, 26, has been charged with murder for “killing the passenger in his McLaren sports car after crashing into a tree in Valley Village,” the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office announced on May 19. Prosecutors claim this passenger was YouTuber Corey La Barrie, 25. Daniel now faces one count of murder and could face a “possible maximum sentence of 15 years to life in state prison,” if convicted. An arraignment date has not yet been scheduled.
ORIGINAL: Ink Master alum Daniel Silva, 26, was arrested for murder in Los Angeles on May 11 after a drunk driving incident left him in the hospital and caused the death of his 25-year-old passenger. Silva, according to an LAPD report obtained by HollywoodLife, reportedly lost control of his 2020 McLaren 600LT while driving at a “high rate of speed” at approximately 9:40pm. The car went off the road and collided with a stop sign and a tree. Upon collision, Silva reportedly “exited the vehicle and attempted to leave the scene, but was stopped by citizens who came to render aid.” The report classifies the incident as a “DUI Fatal Traffic Collision,” but doesn’t include any information about alcohol consumption.
Silva and his passenger were taken to the hospital with unknown injuries by the LA Fire Department. The LAPD informed HollywoodLife that they will not be releasing the identity of the passenger, who succumbed to his injuries at the hospital, until his next of kin is notified. They also stated that they could not tell us what degree of murder Silva was booked for. Silva was in custody Monday night in lieu of $200,000 bail, according to online police records. Here’s what else you need to know about Silva:
1. He competed on season 10 of Ink Master. After besting tattoo artist Ryan Ashley Malarky on an episode of Ink Master: Angels, Silva made it to Ink Master. Silva was one of 16 contestants to duke it out during season 10 of the Paramount Network reality competition series, which pits tattoo artists against each other in the hopes of winning $100,000 and an editorial feature in Inked magazine. Silva excelled in the difficult technical challenges, which required artists to create original tattoos on command. He placed seventh that season.
2. He’s the founder of Tattoo University. Silva started an online tattooing school, where students can sign up for classes and learn valuable skills and techniques from the Ink Master alum, himself. The classes range from Tattooing 101, to Tattoo Photography and Social Media, in which students learn how to promote their art online. For fans of Silva’s work, he uses the Technique class to “guide you through how I personally created 20 of the best tattoos I did over the last year, start to finish.”
3. He shows off his original tattoo designs on YouTube. Silva started a YouTube channel (Daniel Silva) in February 2020, which now has 230,000 subscribers. Each week, he would show off time lapses of intricate tattoos, chat with other professionals, and tell stories about his time on Ink Master.
4. He’s inked some of your favorite celebrities. On his YouTube channel and Instagram page, which boasts over 1 million followers, Daniel revealed that he’s tattooed celebs like YouTuber Brennen Taylor, LA Rams player Jalen Ramsey, and influencer FaZe ADAPT, among others.
5. He was homeless as a teenager. Silva learned how to tattoo when he was 19, and worked his way out of homelessness. He only had three years of professional experience under his belt when he competed on Ink Master.