Warning: This article contains discussion of drug use and sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
Hollywood producer David Pearce has been sentenced to 146 years in prison after being found guilty for the deaths of two women in 2021, as well as the sexual assault of several other women.
He was charged with the deaths of model Christy Giles and her friend Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola after the pair died from a fatal overdose of fentanyl in 2021. It's believed that Pearce had supplied the women with the drug.
Pearce was also charged with the rape of seven other women between 2007 and 2021. This includes three counts of forcible rape, two counts of sexual penetration with force, one count of rape of an unconscious or sleeping victim and one count of forced sodomy.
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According to information provided by Los Angeles' District Attorney's Office, Pearce and a second man, named as Brant Osborn, met Giles and Cabrales-Arzola in Los Angeles in November 2021. Authorities said the two women accompanied the men back to Pearce's LA apartment where they were provided with a fatal dose of GHB and fentanyl.
Cabrales-Arzola had called a rideshare around 35 minutes after entering the apartment, however, she did not end up taking the ride.
Both women were later carried out of the apartment by Pearce and Osborn and left outside two different hospitals in the LA area.
Giles had died before arriving at the hospital while Cabrales-Arzola remained on life support for 11 days before her family made the decision to switch the machines off.
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"This sentence delivers long-awaited justice for Ms. Cabrales-Arzola, Ms. Giles, and the courageous sexual assault victims who came forward and testified," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement.
"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."
Pearce's co-defendant, Osborn, is set to face a second trial next month after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict against him for two charges of accessory to murder after the fact.
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Following his arrest, seven women came forward to accuse the Hollywood producer of sexual assault in December 2021 – Pearce denied all charges against him in his testimony, claiming he'd never met one of the women and that the rest of the encounters were consensual.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24/7, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week.
Brenna Cooper