Man convicted of murder and sexual assault in drug overdose case in California

David Brian Pearce, 42, was found guilty of first-degree murder for the drug overdose deaths of two women, Christy Giles and Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola. He was also convicted of raping and assaulting seven other women from 2007 to 2021. The jury determined that Pearce provided fentanyl and a date-rape drug to the victims after meeting them at a party in November 2021. Pearce later dropped the women off at hospitals, where Giles was pronounced dead and Cabrales-Arzola died days later. Pearce, who falsely claimed to be a Hollywood producer, faces a sentence of 148 years to life in prison. He is scheduled for sentencing on March 13.