David Brian Pearce, a Hollywood producer accused of drugging and killing two young women in Los Angeles, has been found guilty of first-degree murder. The verdict comes more than two years after the tragic deaths of 24-year-old model Christy Giles and her friend, 26-year-old architect Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola.
Pearce, 42, was originally arrested in 2021 on suspicion of manslaughter, but as more evidence came to light, prosecutors upgraded the charges to murder. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled that both women had died from overdoses caused by a deadly mix of drugs, including fentanyl and the “date rape drug” GHB. On Tuesday, a jury convicted Pearce on two counts of first-degree murder, along with multiple charges of sexual assault against seven other women dating back to 2007. He now faces a possible life sentence.
The case has horrified many, not just because of the deaths of Giles and Cabrales-Arzola, but also because of the chilling details of their final hours. The two friends had been out at a party in East LA on November 13, 2021, where witnesses saw Pearce interacting with them in the VIP section. Investigators believe Pearce drugged them at a home near Beverlywood and Miracle Mile, where they fatally overdosed. Instead of calling for help, Pearce and his alleged accomplice, Brandt Walter Osborn, put the unconscious women in a car and abandoned them outside different hospitals.
Surveillance footage and witness statements helped piece together what happened. At 5:30 a.m., Giles texted Cabrales-Arzola, “Let’s go,” and her friend responded that she was calling an Uber. But the two never made it to the car. Hours later, masked men—later identified as Pearce and Osborn—were caught on camera dumping Giles’ lifeless body outside a Culver City hospital. When her husband, Jan Cilliers, tracked her location, he called her parents in Alabama with devastating news. Giles’ mother recalled how the hospital staff told her over the phone that her daughter had been left outside “like a bag of garbage.”
Meanwhile, Cabrales-Arzola was dropped off at another hospital, unconscious and in critical condition. Her mother, who received a call in the middle of the night, was told her daughter had to be placed on life support. Tragically, Cabrales-Arzola’s family made the heartbreaking decision to remove her from life support on November 24—just one day before her 27th birthday.
Pearce’s co-defendant, Osborn, was charged with helping cover up the crime, but the jury was deadlocked on his case, leading to a mistrial. A judge will decide in March whether he will face a new trial.
For Giles’ and Cabrales-Arzola’s families, the conviction of Pearce brings some justice, but the pain of losing their daughters remains unbearable. Cabrales-Arzola’s mother has vowed to keep fighting for accountability, while Giles’ family says they will never stop honoring her memory.