Crime

Suspect in Deaths of L.A. Model and Architect Charged with Sexually Assaulting 4 Others

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced the charges against David Pearce on Friday

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Published on December 18, 2021 10:34 PM

David Pearce, one of the three men arrested in connection to the deaths of Instagram model Christy Giles and architectural project manager Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola, has been charged with sexually assaulting four women between 2010 and 2020.

Pearce, 39, was charged Friday with two counts of forcible rape and one count each of rape of an unconscious or asleep person and sexual penetration by a foreign object. Pearce was arrested earlier in the week on suspicion of manslaughter in relation to the deaths of Giles and Cabrales-Arzola, and is being held on $1 million bail.

According to a representative for Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, Pearce has not yet been charged, pending further investigation by his office.

Pearce was charged Friday, however, in connection with four other crimes. He stands accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2010 and had allegedly "raped a woman in February 2019 and two other women in separate incidents last year," DA Gascón's office said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE Friday.

"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," the news release read.

Christy Giles, Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola. Christy Giles/Instagram; GoFundMe

"This case is evolving and we continue to work with law enforcement in developing evidence of other possible crimes," the news release continued. "If you have any information, please contact the Los Angeles Police Department immediately."

Along with Pearce, Michael Ansbach and Brandt Osborn were arrested earlier this week in connection to the suspicious deaths of Giles and Cabrales-Arzola. They are being held on $100,000 bail each on suspicion of being accessories to manslaughter.

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It is currently unclear if any of the men have engaged legal representation to comment on their behalf.

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Giles, a model, and Cabrales-Arzola, an architectural designer, were dumped at separate hospitals in Los Angeles on Nov. 13 by three masked men in a black Toyota Prius with no license plates. Police say that both women were given drugs and overdosed at a residence on Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles.

Giles was pronounced dead at the scene, while Cabrales-Arzola was found unconscious; she later died on Nov. 24.

Jan Cilliers, the husband of Giles, spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about his wife and her friend's tragic deaths in an interview published on Thursday.

"I sighed a sigh of relief," he told PEOPLE upon hearing the news that Pearce, Ansbach, and Osborn had been arrested. "But I also understand that this is just the beginning of the battle. There's going to be a lot of stuff to get through in order to get these guys in prison."

"We definitely think that there are other victims out there. And we'd love for them to come forward and just add their voices to this case, to help get these guys off the street," Cilliers, 41, continued. "And that stops these guys from being able to victimize any other woman."

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

Anyone with information is urged to contact LAPD West Bureau Homicide at (213) 382-9470.

During non-business hours, or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477).

Tipsters may also visit www.lapdonline.org, and click on "Anonymous Web Tips" under the Get Involved-Crime Stoppers" menu to submit an online tip. Lastly, tipsters may also download the "P3 Tips" mobile application and select the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers as their local program.