David Burke is the son of a veteran and working man, who invested with the bank owned by Peter Gardner at David's insistence. When the stock market crashed, even though Gardner was paid a bailout, David and his father lost their investments, leading to his father committing suicide.
David was questioned when Gardner's mistress Blair Carlson was kidnapped for ransom and later killed in an accident, as David sent a grief-stricken, angry letter to Gardner with thousands of his other investors. David denied involvement, as he was clearing his father's apartment in Queens and had to move from his own to Parsippany, New Jersey as well. David protested in front of the detectives about how his father worked for his life and then lost it, while Gardner just kept to the richer crowds with enough financial appeal.
Visiting David was instrumental to finding the kidnappers, as a guy in a troubled youth organization, Carlos, who was questioned at the scene, was shaking hands with Gardner in a photo. The organization's founder, Ronny Aldridge, was the mastermind, with Carlos as an accomplice. Blair died when she tried to escape and fought with Carlos on the sidewalk. (L&O: "Bailout")