Murder charges have been filed in the overdose deaths of a Los Angeles model and an architect, whose bodies were found last year outside separate hospitals.
Model Christy Giles, 24, and architect Hilda Marcela Cabrales Arzola, 26, were out partying on Nov. 12 when the night turned deadly, with masked men leaving them at hospitals the next morning, according to USA Today.
Giles died of multiple drug intoxication the same day she was admitted to the hospital, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner-coroner. Arzola died on November 24 from multiple organ failure and drug intoxication. According to the medical examiner-coroner, both deaths were ruled homicides.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced charges against two men arrested in December in connection with the case on Tuesday.
David Brian Pearce, 40, of Beverly Hills, has been charged with two counts of murder and two counts of selling, transporting, or furnishing a controlled substance.
Following his arrest in December, he was charged in a separate case with several counts of sexual assault against seven victims over a 13-year period, according to a news release from the district attorney’s office. According to court records, he pleaded not guilty to those charges.
NBC News has reached out to Pearce’s attorney for comment. According to records, Pearce has been imprisoned since his arrest in December. The bail amount is $3.4 million.
His attorney, Jacob Glucksman, told the Los Angeles Times he intends to plead not guilty at his arraignment. Glucksman also told the Los Angeles Times that his client “adamantly and strongly denies any connection to these women’s unfortunate deaths.”
Michael Ansbach, a third man, was arrested in December. He is not mentioned in the press release.
It’s not clear what urged the charges, which were filed nearly eight months after the women died.
When asked why Ansbach was not charged in the case, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office stated, “The matter remains under review regarding Mr. Ansbach.”
The arraignments for Pearce and Osborn are set for July 11.
The Los Angeles Police Department previously said the women “were given drugs and overdosed” at a home on Olympic Boulevard. Later, three masked men dropped the women off at the hospitals in a black Toyota Prius without license plates. Authorities later identified those men as Pearce, Ansbach and Osborn.
Following their arrests, the district attorney’s office sent the case back to detectives for further investigation. Osborn and Ansbach were released, but Pearce remained jailed on the sexual assault charges.
The women “were given drugs and overdosed” at a home on Olympic Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Later, three masked men in a black Toyota Prius with no licence plates dropped the women off at the hospitals. The men were later identified as Pearce, Ansbach, and Osborn by authorities.
After their arrests, the district attorney’s office remanded the case to detectives for further investigation. Osborn and Ansbach were released, but Pearce was still imprisoned on sexual assault charges.
On Tuesday, Gascón urged other potential survivors to come forward with any information about Osborn and Pearce. Police previously stated that they suspected one or more of the men of drugging other victims.
“My office and our Bureau of Victims Services stand ready to listen, assist and support you. You are not alone,” Gascón said in the release.
The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.
