David Pearce gave two young women anesthesia and fentanyl, causing their deaths, then dumped their bodies at a hospital in Los Angeles.

David Pearce in court on February 5. Photo: AP

On February 5, Hollywood producer David Pearce, 42, was convicted in a Los Angeles court of murdering Christy Giles, 24, and Hilda Cabrales-Arzola, 26. The case began on the evening of November 12, 2021, when the two victims met Pearce and a friend at a party in Los Angeles. They then went to Pearce’s apartment.

According to court testimony, Pearce gave Giles and Cabrales-Arzola a drug cocktail of cocaine, fentanyl, ketamine, heroin, MDMA and GBH. Twelve hours later, the two girls were left outside two Los Angeles hospitals. Giles was dead, and Cabrales-Arzola was in critical condition and died a few weeks later.

According to prosecutor Catherine Mariano, Pearce “knew the dangers of fentanyl” but gave the drug to two people because he “wanted to sexually assault them.” In addition to murder, Pearce is charged with three counts of rape, two counts of sexual penetration by force and one count of rape of an unconscious person.

Hilda Cabrales-Arzola, 26, pictured with David Pearce hours before his death. Photo: Instagram

During his trial, Pearce said he encountered the two women in a “rave room” at a party. When they passed out at his apartment, he thought nothing of it because “friends get drunk at my house all the time.” Pearce said he tried to help the two girls by placing them on the bed and turning them to one side to prevent them from vomiting. When both were still unconscious hours later, Pearce took Giles to the hospital. He performed CPR on the other woman but did not call 911.

Pearce’s friend, Brandt Osborn, 45, was also arrested and charged with being an accessory after the fact. A third man, Michael Ansbach, was initially arrested but later became a key witness for the prosecution. Ansbach claimed that Pearce had told him during the transport of the victims: “Dead people don’t talk.” Pearce denied this.

Allison Pearce, Pearce’s sister, has apologized to the victim’s family: “I am so sorry for my brother’s actions. I can’t believe he would act like that, hurt and take advantage of women.” Allison said her relationship with Pearce had always been strained and they had been estranged for many years.

Allison also said Pearce was a con man who lied about who he was and what he did. She said her brother used his Hollywood connections to approach women, pretending he could help them with their acting or modeling careers. Many others have come forward with similar stories: luring them to his apartment and becoming sick or paralyzed after drinking something he gave them.

Sentencing for Pearce, who has been in custody since his arrest, is scheduled for March 13. Pearce faces a sentence of 148 years to life in prison.