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Crime News

'Riverdale' Actor Denies Involvement In Plot To Steal Kurt Cobain’s Guitar

Isaiah Silva, who was awarded the late Nirvana frontman's guitar in a divorce settlement with Frances Bean Cobain last year, filed a lawsuit claiming that Ross Butler, Courtney Love and others worked together on a plan to kill him and get the guitar back.

By Sharon Lynn Pruitt

Actor Ross Butler has denied taking part in a supposed nefarious plot to kidnap and murder Frances Bean Cobain’s ex-husband Isaiah Silva in order to steal a highly sought-after guitar that used to belong to rock legend Kurt Cobain.

The 28-year-old actor, who’s appeared in hit teen dramas like “Riverdale” and “13 Reasons Why,” has asked a judge to dismiss him from a lawsuit Silva filed earlier this year accusing Butler of being involved in the alleged plot, according to court documents obtained by The Blast.

Silva filed a lawsuit in May seeking unspecified damages and accusing Butler of conspiring with his ex-wife’s mother, famed musician Courtney Love, as well as Love's manager Sam Lutfi to steal the 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic guitar that Cobain played during Nirvana’s iconic 1993 performance on “MTV Unplugged.”

Silva was awarded the guitar in the divorce settlement in May. However, in court documents obtained by TMZ, he reportedly claimed that on June 3, 2016, Lutfi and two other men gained entry into his home in West Hollywood by pretending to be police, then grabbed his genitals, assaulted him and tried to kill him — all in an attempt to get the guitar back.

Butler denied any involvement in such a caper. 

“I never entered into a conspiracy or otherwise agreed to commit any crime against Silva. I never conspired with anyone else to murder or kidnap Silva … or take possession of a guitar that Silva claims Ms. Cobain gave to him as a gift,” he said, according to court documents cited by The Blast, 

The actor also reportedly denied having any communication with Love “at any time concerning the purported events.”

Butler claimed that he and Lutfi went to Silva’s house that night to check on Silva and Frances Bean because they’d both “gone silent” after sending Butler what he described as “troubling text messages,” according to The Blast.

 

When they arrived at the home, there were sheets covering the windows, Butler claimed, adding that after he and Lutfi knocked on the front door, an alarm went off inside the home, after which Silva invited them in, according to The Blast.

“I then entered the house and was greeted calmly and amicably by Silva,” Butler said, according to court documents.

Butler reportedly described Silva as “frail” and “emaciated,” adding that the house was messy and had an unpleasant odor.

Butler did confirm that someone called the police during the course of the night, according to The Blast, though he added that they left without incident after talking to all parties involved.

Frances Bean Cobain and Isaiah Silva’s divorce was finalized in December after two years of marriage, Page Six reports.

The two were involved in a lengthy battle over Kurt Cobain’s famous instrument: Silva claimed Frances Bean gave it to him as a gift, while Frances Bean denied ever doing that, according to Page Six.

Silva and Cobain came to an agreement in May wherein he would get the guitar, but she would not be required to pay spousal support and would get to keep the house the two purchased together, according to TMZ.

[Photo Credit: Getty]