Suspect in death of LA model, her friend also charged with 4 counts of rape in separate cases

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Monday, December 20, 2021
Suspect in death of LA model also charged with rape in other cases
One of the three men charged in the deaths of two women, who police say were given drugs and dropped off outside of separate Los Angeles hospitals, is now being charged in separate cases with four counts of rape.

One of the three men charged in the deaths of two women, who police say were given drugs and dropped off outside of separate Los Angeles hospitals, is now being charged in separate cases with four counts of rape.

David Pearce, 37, was arrested last week on suspicion of manslaughter. Two other men, 47-year-old Michael Ansbach and 42-year-old Brandt Osborn, were both charged with accessory to manslaughter, but have since been released, according to booking records.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the victims - Christy Giles and Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola - were given drugs at a home in the 8600 block of Olympic Boulevard. Investigators believe an overdose resulted in their deaths.

Giles, a 24-year-old model and aspiring actress who moved to L.A. from Alabama, was dropped off at Southern California Hospital Nov. 13.

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Investigators said the men, who were wearing masks at the time, according to police, were in a black Toyota Prius without license plates when they dropped her off. Giles died shortly after.

Meanwhile, Cabrales-Arzola, an aspiring architect from Mexico, was left in critical condition at Kaiser Permanente West L.A. and later declared brain dead. One day shy of her 27th birthday on Nov. 28, her family took her off life support. Her organs were donated.

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Now, Pearce is accused of sexually assaulting four women dating back more than a decade. L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón says Pearce sexually assaulted a woman in 2010.

He's also accused of raping a second woman in February of 2019, and two more in separate incidents last year.

"My office takes violence against women very seriously. By aggressively prosecuting sexual assault cases, we make our community safer and protect others from becoming victims in the future," Gascón said in a statement. "This case is evolving and we continue to work with law enforcement in developing evidence of other possible crimes. If you have any information, please contact the Los Angeles Police Department immediately."