A California nightclub promoter and producer has been sentenced to nearly 150 years in prison for the 2021 deaths of a model from Alabama and her friend, who were drugged and dumped at separate Los Angeles hospitals.
A Los Angeles judge on Wednesday sentenced 43-year-old David Pearce to 146 years for the deaths of 24-year-old Christy Giles Cilliers, who grew up in Gardendale, and her interior designer friend Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola.
Pearce was convicted of the murders in February.
The jury also found him guilty of three counts of forcible rape, two counts of sexual penetration by use of force and one count each of rape of an unconscious person and sodomy by use of force — with all of the sexual assault charges involving crimes against seven women between 2007 and 2020, according to ABC7.
The jury earlier this year couldn’t reach a verdict against Pearce’s roommate and co-defendant Brandt Osborn, who was charged with two counts of accessory after the fact with knowledge of a crime.
A third man initially suspected, Michael Ansbach, became a witness for the prosecution.
“This sentence delivers long-awaited justice for Ms. Cabrales-Arzola, Ms. Giles, and the courageous sexual assault victims who came forward and testified,” said L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, according to KTLA5.
“Not only were the victims sexually assaulted, but the lives of Ms. Cabrales-Arzola and Ms. Giles were stolen in one of the most devastating ways — a fentanyl-induced sexual assault by Pearce.”
“This case is a stark reminder of the devastation caused by fentanyl. Fentanyl poisoners who harm and exploit others will be held accountable,” Hochman said.
“Every prosecution and sentence like this one moves us a step closer to deterring criminals from committing these crimes and protecting others from a similar fate.”
The case was featured earlier this on “48 Hours.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, Ansbach testified that Pearce served him and the women a mysterious batch of cocaine that left him violently ill.
He said when he pleaded for someone to take Cilliers and Cabrales-Arzola, both unconscious, to the hospital. Pearce said, “Dead girls don’t talk.”
Cilliers, the youngest of the three Giles sisters, was raised in Gardendale, attending Gardendale Elementary School, Bragg Middle School and Gardendale High Schools.
She was a talented athlete who excelled in soccer and, once in middle school, tried her hand at pageants. The pageants led her to a modeling contract with Wilhelmina Models in Miami just as she was about to turn 15.
Cilliers turned Christy turned 18 in Miami but moved to Los Angeles a short time later.
In 2019, Christy met Jan Cilliers and the two eloped after a whirlwind romance, settling down in Marina del Ray.
The weekend of Nov. 12, 2021, Cilliers husband took a trip to San Francisco to see his father and go on a hike together.
Cilliers and three friends, including Cabrales-Arzola, decided to have a girls-night-out that Friday.
They headed to Soho House West Hollywood, a private club. There was to be an art exhibit opening, followed by a couple of after parties in different locations.
During one of the after parties at the warehouse, the group of women encountered Pearce, Ansbach and Osborn.
“They came to the event and posed like they were event staff,’’ Cilliers mother, Dusty Giles, a retired UAB nurse, previously told AL.com. “Ansbach had a camera around his neck.”
Cilliers and Cabrales-Arzola ended up riding with Pearce, Osborn and Ansbach, headed to a party in Beverly Hills.
Somehow the group ended up at Pearce’s apartment next.
Not long after they arrived, Cilliers sent Cabrales-Arzola a text that read, “Let’s get out of here.” It was followed by the wide-eyed emoji.
Cabrales-Arzola replied, “Agreed. Uber called. Will be here in 10.
Phone records show Christy read that text but did not reply. There were no more texts sent, no more phone calls made, and no more pictures posted to Instagram by either woman.
“I mean nobody heard from them ever again,’’ Giles said.
The following morning, Cilliers husband’ started calling her to see how her night went.
There was no answer to his calls or texts. He could see that her phone location was in West Hollywood and assumed she had stayed over with friends.
Cilliers phone showed to be in the same location for 10 to 12 hours, and then suddenly moved to show she was at a hospital in Culver City.
Giles called the hospital, and it was then she learned her daughter was dead.
She would later learn that two men dropped her off outside the hospital. They reportedly said they had found her in alley and wanted to get her help.
It was just a couple of hours later, they learned, that Cabrales-Arzol was dropped off at a different hospital – Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Hospital – barely alive. She was pronounced dead on Nov. 24.
The story made headlines, and speculation swirled.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner classified the deaths as homicides.
Toxicology reports showed multiple drugs in the systems of both victims. Christy, Dusty said, had both GHB, the “date rape drug,” and fentanyl in her system.
Giles said video showed men carrying Christy’s body out of the apartment, putting her in the car and dumping her at the hospital.
They then went back to the apartment and repeated the same process for Cilliers’ friend.
After the deaths of the two women, more women came forward.
Read the original article on al.com.