David Brian Pearce, 42, was convicted of killing Christy Giles and Hilda Cabrales Arzola in 2021, and was exposed as a serial rapist who used Hollywood's nightlife as his hunting ground.
In a dramatic conclusion to a case that exposed the predatory dark side of Hollywood, film producer David Brian Pearce, 42, has been sentenced to 146 years in prison.
According to KTLA, the severe sentence was handed down for his role in the 2021 fentanyl overdose deaths of model Christy Giles and her friend, architect Hilda Marcela Cabrales Arzola, as well as the serial rape of seven other women.
The sentencing, which is one of the harshest for a sex-crimes case in Los Angeles history, marks the end of a multi-year investigation that began after Giles's lifeless body was left outside a hospital.
A Predator in the "Entertainment Industry"
During the trial, prosecutors described Pearce as "a systematic predator in the entertainment industry." The investigation revealed that Pearce used his status and the allure of Hollywood nightlife to hunt for victims, frequenting bars and parties where he would spike women's drinks to incapacitate them.
This horrifying pattern of abuse was brought to light in November 2021, when a massive investigation was launched after Christy Giles, 24, was unceremoniously dumped and left unconscious on the sidewalk outside one hospital. Hours later, Hilda Marcela Cabrales Arzola, 26, was left at a different hospital. Both women died from lethal doses of fentanyl.
A Damning Trial and a Tragic Coda
The court case in February 2025 became a devastating chronicle of Pearce's crimes. A stream of victim impact statements, combined with overwhelming digital evidence including incriminating text messages, surveillance video, and location data linked Pearce to a string of sexual assaults spanning several years.
In total, he was convicted of the rape of seven women, in addition to the two murders.
In a heartbreaking twist, it was revealed that one of the seven rape victims was a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer. Tragically, this officer died in the line of duty just days before the 146-year sentence was finally announced, never getting to see her attacker brought to justice.
The "Dark Side of Hollywood"
The verdict has sent a shockwave through the community. The public has reacted with outrage, seeing the case as a horrifying example of the "dark side of Hollywood," where fame, power, and drugs can create a dangerous environment for predators to operate without consequences.
Many commentators have also aimed criticism at California's political and judicial systems, expressing anger that it took so long—and took the deaths of Giles and Arzola for Pearce's years of alleged abuse to be taken seriously and for his victims to finally find justice.
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Source: This report is based on information from KTLA, the Los Angeles Times, Fox News, and the Associated Press.
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