Hollywood Producer David Pearce Was Sentenced to 146 Years in Prison — He Deserved It
David Pearce showed no remorse for what he did.
Published Oct. 30 2025, 1:41 p.m. ET
Many people have dreamt of making it big in Hollywood, but fame is sometimes eclipsed by infamy. Growing up in Bethesda, Md., an affluent suburb of Washington, D.C., David Pearce was obsessed with the entertainment industry.
His mother told the Los Angeles Times that he was quite the social butterfly, expressing an interest in drama and theater. This led to a move to Los Angeles, where Pearce studied at UCLA.
Pearce never did achieve his dreams. Apart from an appearance on Dawson's Creek, there is no evidence to suggest he got much work in his beloved Hollywood.
Eventually, Pearce began exaggerating about his success. He told people he was a big-time producer. In reality, Pearce was too busy partying to do much else.
Those days are over, after he was sentenced to 146 years in prison in October 2025. What did he do? Here's what we know.
What did David Pearce do?
Two young women were also enamored with the glitz and glam Los Angeles had to offer. Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola, 26, and Christy Giles, 24, befriended each other in 2019.
According to CBS News, Giles moved from Alabama to become a model. Cabrales-Arzola was an architect from Mexico. The two bonded immediately.
On the evening of Nov. 12, 2021, the day before Cabrales-Arzola's 27th birthday, the two girls planned an evening out with a third friend. They started at the SoHo House in West Hollywood and ended up at a warehouse party on the east side of the city.
Cell phone videos taken that night show the two of them hanging out in the VIP section.
That's where they met Pearce, now 43, and his roommate, 46-year-old Brandt Osborn. Less than 12 hours later, Pearce dropped Cabrales-Arzola's dead body off at West L.A. hospital.
She was resuscitated and spent 11 days in the hospital before dying. Giles was already dead when Pearce left her body outside a Culver City hospital.
Toxicology reports revealed that both women died of a fatal overdose. The medical examiner found cocaine, fentanyl, GHB, and traces of ketamine in Giles' system.
Cocaine and MDMA were found in Cabrales-Arzola's system. Pearce, Osborn, and 47-year-old Michael Ansbach were arrested and charged in connection with the women's deaths.
Pearce's sentence was for more than the two murders.
Pearce was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, per ABC 7. He was also convicted of sexually assaulting seven other women.
Osborn's trial resulted in a mistrial. He is currently waiting for a new trial date. Ansbach testified against Pearce, claiming he was also drugged.
LA County Superior Court Judge Eleanor Hunter called Pearce the worst kind of criminal, before ridiculing him for his slicked back hair and use of duck lips in photos, per the New York Post.
"Not once have I seen a genuine issuance of some sort of remorse. No sense of compassion for Hilda and Christie or anyone else."