A Hollywood producer who is charged with the murder of a model and her friend could have more victims, LA County District Attorney George Gascón has said.
David Pearce, 40, was originally charged with manslaughter in the deaths of Christy Giles, 24, and her architect friend Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola, 26, whose bodies were dumped outside of two separate hospitals in Los Angeles in November 2021.
The Los Angeles County coroner classified both deaths as homicides caused by drug overdoses.
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Pearce was charged with murder earlier this week. He was initially arrested in December for unconnected sexual assault charges and has remained in jail since.
During a press conference on Tuesday (5 July) confirming Pearce’s charges, Gascón announced that investigators found enough additional evidence to link Pearce with the deaths of Giles and Cabrales-Arzola, as well as the rape and sexual assault of three additional victims.
As reported by The New York Post, the LA County District Attorney said: "We knew that this was going to be a lengthy investigation, and we started with the charges we knew that we could prove.
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"Most had to do with the using and the administration of drugs.
"The LAPD did a lot of work here as well as our prosecuting team because we knew that they were murders and we wanted to prove that, and that is the reason why the outstanding charges have been confirmed."
Gascón also urged any further potential victims to come forward, saying: "We know that often survivors do not report sexual assault for a variety of reasons.
"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 recognise 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."
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Any potential victims were encouraged 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.
Alongside the murder charges, Pearce is facing several sexual assault and rape charges in connection with separate incidents involving seven women between August 2010 to November 2021.
These felony counts include three counts of forcible rape, two counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object, one count of sodomy and one count of sexual penetration by use of force.
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Pearce is also facing two counts of selling/or offering to sell a controlled substance to Giles and Cabrales-Arzola.
If convicted of the charges, Pearce could face a max sentence of 120 years, Gascón added.
Currently, Pearce remains in jail in lieu of a $3.4 million (£2.85 million) bail and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Monday 11 July.
In light of the charges, Pearce's attorney Jacob Gluckman told UNILAD: "The charges against Mr. Pearce are all very similar in nature. There is a lot of smoke with not much fire. Mr. Pearce strongly denies any wrongdoing."
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Elsewhere, Pearce’s friend, actor Brandt Osborn was also charged with two counts of being an accessory to the murder of Giles and Cabrales-Arzola.
According to LA County sheriff’s records, the 42-year-old was initially arrested in December but was released two days later after the DA’s office initially declined to charge him.
However, the LA District Attorney said on Tuesday (5 July) a warrant has been issued for the Staten Island native’s arrest.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have yet to file charges against cinematographer Michael Ansbach, who was originally arrested on suspicion of being an accessory to the murder alongside Osborn in December.
The 47-year-old was released a day after his arrest on $100,000 (£84,000) bond.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivor’s Trust for free on 08088 010 818, or through their website thesurvivorstrust.org
Lisa McLoughlin