LA man arrested in overdose deaths has arraignment on rape charges postponed
A Los Angeles man arrested for the death of a model and her friend remains in jail on $3.4 million bail after his arraignment for an unrelated case was continued to next month.
David Pearce, who has been known to run in the Hollywood party circuit with disgraced porn star Ron Jeremy, tried to avoid eye contact with media cameras as he appeared before a judge on Thursday dressed in blue jail garb and wearing a mask.
Pearce was ordered to return on Jan. 12 since he is still trying to hire a private attorney, Deputy District Attorney Catherine Mariano told the Post after Thursday’s hearing.
Pearce, 39, is facing two counts of forcible rape, one count of raping an unconscious or asleep person, and one count of sexual penetration for a foreign object, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney officials.
The alleged incidents involved four women and occurred between 2010 and 2020, according to the criminal complaint.
“Our office has not determined what sentence it will seek in this (Pearce) case,” LA County District Attorney Office spokesman Greg Risling told the Post. “We will make that determination after all the admissible evidence is presented in court and our prosecutors have had the opportunity to consider the mitigating and aggravating circumstances.”
Mariano said there could be other victims, but would not confirm how many because of the ongoing investigation.
Before Thursday’s hearing began, Deputy Public Defender Ara Injejikian asked the judge not to allow media cameras to shoot in the courtroom.
“He’s already in the media and I don’t want to prejudice his case,” Injejikian said, adding he is concerned for Pearce’s safety because other inmates have access to media reports, which could put his client at risk.
The judge denied Injejikian’s request and allowed cameras to film the hearing.
The sex assault charges were brought two days after Pearce was arrested in the overdose deaths of architect Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola, 26, and model Christy Giles, 24, on Nov. 13.
Mariano said the DA’s office is still considering charges related to Giles and Cabrales-Arzola’s case “pending an ongoing investigation.”
Two other men, Brandt Osborn, 42, and Michael Ansbach, 47, also were arrested in connection to the deaths of Giles and Cabrales-Arzola.
Both were booked on suspicion of being accessories to manslaughter, however, the LA County District Attorney’s Office rejected the LAPD’s case against Osborn and his arrest was retroactively reduced to a detention, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Ansbach, a cinematographer and cameraman, was released on Dec. 16 on $100,000 bond. Prosecutors have yet to file charges against him.
Giles and Cabrales-Arzola are believed to have met the three men at an after-hours warehouse party earlier on Nov. 13, but they continued their night at Pearce’s apartment on Olympic Boulevard.
Giles’ husband told the Post that authorities believe his wife and her friend were provided drugs at Pearce’s apartment.
LAPD officials said two masked men driving a Toyota Prius without license plates dumped Giles’ lifeless body at a Culver City hospital. Shortly thereafter, the men dropped Cabrales-Arzola at Kaiser Permanente in West L.A.
Cabrales-Arzola died on Nov. 24 — five days before her 27th birthday– after she was pronounced brain dead, her family said.
A picture of Cabrales-Arzola sandwiched between Ansbach and Pearce that was taken at the warehouse party also surfaced shortly after the men were arrested.
Families of the women said Giles’ last text exchange with Cabrales-Arzola said, “Let’s go,” and included a shocked emoji face.
Cabrales-Arzola replied, “Yes. I’ll call an Uber,” but the two women never made it to the car.
