David Pearce charged in murder of Model Christy Giles, and friend Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola
A man has been charged with murder in the overdose deaths of model Christy Giles, 24, and her friend, Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola, 26, who were dumped outside of two Los Angeles hospitals last November, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Tuesday.
David Brian Pearce, 40, of Beverly Hills, was arrested in December 2021 and has remained in jail in connection with a series of unrelated alleged sexual assaults. Those charges stem from alleged crimes against seven women from 2007 to 2020.
"I realize that this will not bring any comfort necessarily to the Arzola family or the Giles family, but it will bring accountability," Gascon said at a news conference announcing the charges.
Brandt Osborn, 42, was also charged with two counts of accessory after the fact with knowledge of the crime, according to the latest criminal complaint.
During the news conference on Tuesday announcing the newest charges against Pearce, the district attorney asked any other potential victims to notify the Los Angeles Police Department's West Homicide Bureau at 213-382-9740 or the District Attorney's Office at 877-542-9370.
"We know that often survivors do not report sexual assault for a variety of reasons," Gascón said. "Sometimes they feel the system is not going to listen to them, sometimes they're afraid of their assailant, sometimes they feel ashamed, and we recognize that these are all factors that play a role. That is one of the reasons we're here to say to our community and certainly survivors out there that if you feel comfortable coming forward, we're here for you."
Pearce is set to be arraigned next Monday on the two murder charges, along with two new felony counts of sale/transportation/offer to sell a controlled substance, fentanyl.
Pearce's attorney, Jacob Glucksman, countered, "Similar to the other charges in this case, the evidence on the new counts appears to be extremely weak, and because there's smoke the D.A. is trying to find some fire."
The deaths of the model and her friend were classified as homicides by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner, with toxicology reports finding multiple drugs present in both victims' systems.
According to the department, Giles died of a mixture of cocaine, fentanyl, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (known as the date rape drug by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration) and ketamine.
Cabrales-Arzola died of multiple organ failure with cocaine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy) and other undetermined drugs found in her system, the department added.
The two women were last seen at an apartment in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood before their bodies were dumped, Giles outside Southern California Hospital in Culver City and Cabrales-Arzola outside Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Hospital that same night of November 13, 2021.
Giles was already dead when she was found. Cabrales-Arzola, an architect, was alive but in critical condition. Her family took her off life support later that month, just one day before her 27th birthday.
