"Dead Girls Don't Talk" | Full Episode | Forensic Files

[Music] powerful opening statements in the Hollywood overdose murder trial David
Pierce and brand Osborne on trial for the deaths of two women model Christy Giles and her architect friend Hilda
cabales this trial will not change what happened and will not bring my sister back or
Christine Chris's plan for the evening was to go out with some friends and have a fun night
Aloha my name is yanela and Christy was my [Music] wife Christy loved to spread joy and
laughter wherever she went Hilda Marella just moved from Mexico she seemed very lovely and they
were becoming Fast Friends my sister did enjoy going out to parties she liked dancing and music I remember
seeing her Instagram she was posting stories of deadline she sent me a couple of text
messages her last text message to me was around 1: or 2 a.m. and throughout the day I was trying to text her and there
was no response you're tracking Christy's phone yeah is this an address that you recognize it's not an address I
know around 5:00 p.m. I saw her location had suddenly moved to to an emergency room hospital my level of panic was
growing and growing I just knew that I had to try and get to the bottom of what happened
you blast out this address and very quickly you get responses yeah what are those responses that there's somebody
that lives at this location that is a very unsavory person David Pierce yeah he passed himself off as a big shot
Hollywood producer but he was a con man with an alleged history of sexual so it wasn't clear what happened we just
knew she overdosed and to me my reaction was who did this to her so when you heard overdose you immediately thought
drugged yeah drugged yeah definitely not something that she would have done to herself
ever that's just not her got a call at home app parent overdose Christ she she was deceased
Hilda was still on life support at that time I give as much information as I can
to the detectives Yan had put the number of things out on social media and it spread like
wildfire people recognize this guy right away and they were urged to to call us authorities say seven more women have
come forward claiming Pierce sexually assaulted them as well J do number one J do number two J do number three number
four number five number six number seven being a Jane Doe we are the voice of both Christy and Hilda because they
can't talk defended Pierce wanted them to die he wanted them to die because dead girls don't talk
[Music] [Music] for a fresh case it's all on you there's no no one else is going to solve this
thing for you it's you and your partner that's it and in November 2021 detective
Jonathan vanderly and detective Calvin Yu had to figure out why a lifeless woman was left at this emergency
[Music] room this video from Southern California hospital show shows staff pulling a
woman out of a black Prius and helping her onto a stretcher while two men look on when the stretcher moves into the ER
it becomes clear the car has no license plates detective vanderly would later learn that the two men told the staff
they found the woman quote passed out on the curb somewhere nearby and they were
trying to be Good Samaritans they left without giving their names or phone numbers they were Mass disguised this
must be adding up to something that sounds very sketchy to you very sketchy but then you still have to figure out if
an actual crime occurred the woman was Christy Giles and her mother Dusty will never forget the
call that came from the hospital telling her her 24-year-old daughter was dead from a drug
overdose and I said what do you mean she didn't make it and then I hung up and I
fell apart 2 hours later at a hospital just 2 mes away a second woman was left at
another emergency room by the same two men also in a black Prius and wearing masks they never give their
names never leave their phone numbers license plates anything like that that was Hilda Marcel cabales the 26-year-old
architect was still alive in the ICU and fighting for her life and in Durango Mexico her mother Hilda Marcella
Placencia was getting the news about her eldest daughter and namesake she was very bad she was uh
intubated you are a doctor what was going on in your mind at the time what happened what what happened to her why
is she that bad and in the ear earliest hours of the investigation there were only questions
how could this happen to chrisy it was an unimaginable ending to a life bursting with exuberance let's do some
donut Christy was an adventurer traveling the world as a high fashioned model for
Willamina she ultimately made La her home Chrissy Giles I live in Venice California and I am an artist at 21 her
life took a dramatic turn she met Yan cier a South African born artist photographer and special effects editor
17 years her senior they'd been together 7 months when the couple went to Burning
Man an Arts Festival in the Nevada desert where impulsively they took a big leap we just decided to alope we just
got married right there we said to each other that you know life's very short so we kind of
really just proposed to each other and the next day we got married after they got married Christy
started studying interior design in Los Angeles which led to a new friendship with Hilda Marcel Hilda had just moved
there to start her dream job recalls her father Louise I feel very happy for her
but very sad for me because we we are very close no one was surprised that the Kum
graduate of the prestigious University in Montery Mexico was thriving in La especially her
sister Fernanda she was always making a lot of friends talkative outgoing just having a good time and meeting people
that they also like the music that they are also enjoying uh dancing dancing as this video shows is
what the two friends were doing that night Christy's husband Yan was out of town visi visiting his father he knew
she and Hilda had planned a girls night out starting at Soho house and then on to a warehouse party after midnight to
see a favorite DJ a friend who was with them said they did ketamine a popular club
drug but by the next day Yan was on his way home knowing christe was gone in less than 24 hours your world was turned
upside down shattered yeah Hilda's father and mother rushed to be by her side when they arrived they found
their daughter on life support my heart broke in thousand pieces because I saw my my baby in
conscience I'm fighting for her life I said is this real Am I Dreaming I took her hand and I said
Mom's here with you you're not alone christe's autopsy revealed that in addition to ketamine she had cocaine
Fentanyl and GHB known as the date rape drug in her system are these drugs that Christie would take willingly I mean
that combination of drugs sounds deadly to me so like no Yan needed answers so he began to
build a timeline based on the digital Trail christe Left Behind information gathered from her messages and phone
which he was able to track I wanted to get to the bottom of exactly what happened that night he already knew what
she'd been doing before she went out for the evening she was enjoying a lovely sunset
she took our cat for a walk on the beach s s Panther s Panther oh those were the last pictures she sent
me of herself and she said I wish you were here and I well forever wish that I was
there too Yan was able to track christe's phone to a residence located at 8641 West Olympic
Boulevard at 5:30 a.m. Christy sends Hilda a wideeye emoji and says let's go Hilder replies I'll call an Uber 10
minutes away the fact that they're both in the same house text messaging each other they need to leave is very
worrying that was the last text message that Christy or Hilda ever sent that Uber arrived waited 5 minutes and drove
away empty how did you process that I mean it's just confirming my worst fears again that they were there at that place
again they will what's going on in your mind from that detective standpoint when you're
about to arrive at a scene you don't want to form an opinion U prior to getting there but you are kind of
mulling over the evidence you're thinking about it you're thinking about what questions you want
to ask acting on information supplied by Yan LAPD detective Jonathan vanderly and
his partner headed here to 8641 West Olympic Boulevard a little after midnight on November 14th only a
few hours after getting that call from the second hospital and this is where the Uber that Christian and Hilda called
that night would have waited right out front yep 10 minutes between life and death it's all it
takes it was the home of 39-year-old David Pierce police would learn Christie and Hilda had met him for the first time
at that warehouse party police also discovered Pierce had a registration for a black Prius and found it parked behind
the building it matched the car seen at both hospitals down to the black rims Pierce lived on the second floor with a
roommate brand Osborne 42 there was a light on in the upstairs where the two men live so I just went up knocked on
the door immediately the lights go out you identify yourself yes completely LAPD open the door and then they just
complete silence after about 15 minutes he says Pierce and Osborne came out Pierce
denied owning a Prius so I immediately get a lie do you leave no I I interview Mr
Osborne at first he says Osborne denied seeing Christian Hilda at all you could change in the stories numerous times at
first there's no girls had been at that location whatsoever I tell them on the interview um I listen I know you're
lying it's extremely obvious you're very nervous vanderly says Osborne of eventually admitted the women had been
at their apartment but said he'd been asleep and when he woke up realized Christian Hilda were in distress he said
he and Pierce chose to go to two separate hospitals because quote we didn't know how it would look Pierce
police say did later admit he owned the Prius but lied again saying his license plates had been stolen bandly says he
saw those plates on the ground by the vehicle then the men agreed to let detectives
inside two beds have been stripped there was a washing machine that had been recently used it was still wet anything
else that stands out to you there was a safe in his room with baggies which is indicative of of Narcotics they said
they for crafts for arts and crafts by now vanderly says he knew Pierce and Osborne had dropped Hilda and
chrisy off and believed Pierce had drugged them but he didn't have enough evidence to make an arrest he thought he
beat us that night for sure he was happy he smiled and said goodbye yeah thanks detectives y but that wasn't where it
ended for you no not by a long shot vanderly knew he needed more evidence and turned to his colleague
detective Calvin Yu you hear the name David Pierce what goes on in your mind well the first thing is who did he
sexually assault this time detective U had investigated Pierce in 2020 for sexually assaulting a
19-year-old she was uh raped while she was unconscious the victim said Pierce had given her drugs to knock her out
during a date but the investigation had stalled and wasn't prosecuted at the time detective U knew Pierce had other
prior charges including another rape charge from 2014 that was also so not prosecuted he has a pattern his first
step is trying to find his victim so that could be through a dating app through online listings or meeting them
at bars or events when he picks his victim he goes to step two which is bragging about himself Pierce relies on
lies detectives say to set his trap he need to introduce himself as a producer doctor all these different things he's
none of these things I think he might have been an intern at the time or something at a production company and
intern yeah they say his next step is to drug his victims and incapacitate them often
with a drink after they take this drink he goes to step four which is the sexual
assault police would learn both Christie and Hilda showed signs of sexual assault
but they feared they would face challenges making the case how difficult is it to prove a crime took place
when the victims were recreationally using drugs this makes the case extremely hard I told Yan early on that
this was going to be a near impossible a case to [Applause] prove yeah at first it's a who done
it it just became what actually happened and that's what the difficulty of this case detective Jonathan vanderly says
the pressure was on to locate any evidence of what happened after Christi and Hilda met David Pierce that
night video starts expiring these DVRs it's a constant you got to get this evidence before it
disappears police did have some luck starting with this footage from from outside that warehouse
party which they say shows the women leaving with Pierce Osborne and a friend of theirs 47-year-old Michael ansbach on
their way to Pierce's apartment police also uncovered this text exchange from moments earlier when
the women were still inside that party do you want Coke asks Hilda yes replies Christie Hilda texted back I'm in the
kitchen let's do a line Witnesses say Pierce supplied that cocaine which Yan says was not a common
choice for Christie maybe it was late at night and she wanted to get less tired it's not something she would do
regularly police determined the group arrived at Pierce's apartment a little after 5:00 a.m. the women aren't seen
again until 11 hours later when at 4:30 in the afternoon a security camera recorded this grainy image showing
pierce with christe over his shoulder at the top of the stairs police say Osborne
is carrying her bag 35 minutes later at the hospital Pierce wearing a black sweatshirt helps take Christy's body out
of the car Osborne looks on a full hour and a half later this dark image shows the men leaving the
apartment again with Hilda police say Pierce is carrying her and Osborne has her boots and coat half an hour later
the Prius arrives at that second hospital where the men take Hilda out of the car together it had been more than
13 hours since Christy texted Hilda let's go [Music] for two weeks Hilda was on life
support with no hope of regaining Consciousness her family gathered to say their
goodbyes H what were your final moments with your daughter they were so hard you
know and I just was asking God to not let her suffer more I remember telling her that you can
leave and just thanking her for being my sister I told her baby when I pass away
I will see you again and I gave you a big hug a kiss the family decided to donate
Hilda's organs her mom remembers the medical staff lining the Halls as the family accompanied Hilda to the
O the medical team was clapping to honor her to say thank you for giving life to
[Music] others like chrisy Hilda had suffered a drug overdose toxicology reports would
later reveal that she had cocaine MDMA or ecstasy and elevated levels of fentanyl in her
system police would also learned that while the women were in that apartment the downstairs neighbor heard someone in
pain and moaning on and off for 6 hours police believe that was Hilda neither Pierce nor Osborne nor ansbach called
for help it makes me get angry because she was suffering and nobody nobody helped
her how hard is it to prove this narrative when the victims can't even testify on their own behalf if we were
just investing Christian H's alone very difficult but the district attorney at the time went public asking other women
who knew peers to call in so so police could better understand what he did to Hilda and Christie if you feel
comfortable moving forward so that we can evaluate your case in charge of we're here for you we started getting a
lot of calls as police continued building their case Yan received a call that Pierce and
Osborne were on the move he recorded this video of the men loading up a moving van the day after Hilda died
police say Pierce had also changed his phone number and it took them a week to locate him again so the pressure is on
you got to get this guy I got to come up with something quick yes police have arrested three men in
connection with the deaths of a model and her friend last month on December 15th 2021 David Pierce
brand Osborne and Michael ansbach were arrested in connection with and Christy's deaths the detectives still
knew next to nothing about what had happened inside that apartment vanderly says they decided to take a Gamble and
bring the men in this is the only way we're going to get the infile we need once the men were in custody police
conducted interviews with them one by one kind of played with a rotation and uh I worked out exceedingly well they
secretly recorded Pierce and Osborne while ansbach was talking to police Pierce says I hope hbox's not up there
telling him I gave them drugs and wine when it was his turn Pierce denied giving the women drugs he was told it
was like a very bad bch of fentol that was around this was suspicious because information that the women had likely
died from fentanyl had not been released I knew these girls died from fentanyl but nobody else knew two months after
after his arrest ansbach reached out to police with details of what he says he witnessed that night he says Pierce had
offered the women a ride to an Afterparty and then said he needed to make a quick stop at his house anbo says
Pierce was very insistent they stay and have a drink and after the women talked about leaving Pierce gave all three of
them so-called special cocaine ansbach says he christe and Hilda got sick immediately and when he woke up hours
later he saw Christie without any signs of Life ansbach says he told Pierce to take christe and Hilda to the hospital
and says Pierce then said repeatedly quote dead girls don't talk I wouldn't say Survivor I'm a
fighter that's what I am but police had at least one woman who could talk about David Pierce at his
upcoming trial he asked me if I wanted a drink but it tasted really funny and then I don't remember the next several
hours after that [Music] January 9th 2025 opening arguments begin in the trial of David Pier charged with felony
murder and bran Osborne charged with accessory after the fact that is will show that the defendant knowingly gave
Hilda and Chrissy GHB and fennel knowing that it was dangerous to their lives knowing that it could kill them but he
just didn't care defendant born helped him get rid of any evidence to implicate defendant peers in the deaths of Christy
and H prosecutor Katherine Mariano has marshaled the forensic evidence to make her case the toxicology results that
found fentanyl in both women and the date rape drug GHB and chrisy also Pier's DNA discovered on Christy's body
and under Hilda's fingernails this is no accident this is no mistake but in order to prove
felony murder she must show that pierce incapacitated chrisy and Hilda to rape them without their testimony she needs
to establish he had a history of doing this to other women putting drugs in their drinks and then sexually
assaulting them he didn't care whether they lived or died all he cared about was taking advantage of that here's
where there's a problem but defense attor Jeff fall says the fact that Christy and hildo were using drugs
before meeting Pierce that night means there is no case for murder these young ladies unfortunately injested F and they
died it's a shame the Mr Pierce didn't k v is sixth in a long line of lawyers who
have represented David Pierce in this case he knows his client is problematic he's very demanding he's very sure of
himself what David Pierce wants David Pierce gets he pushes her onto the bed Mariano
has her own version of Who David Pierce is based on the accounts of the women who talked to investigators and chose to
be anonymous J one janeo number two janeo number three number four five six number
seven it was important for me to come forward and you know get any information I could regarding this vile man Jackie
is janeo number two No cameras were allowed in the courtroom for any of the testimony but she agreed to talk with us
about her experience with Pierce in 2010 when she was a 24-year-old law student looking for a room to rent she testified
about her meeting with Pierce at his apartment on West Olympic Boulevard where he gave her a tour and offered a
drink I started to spin and you know I I just became like disoriented you drink this drink you start to feel dizzy I'm
sure confused what happens next so the next thing I know um he was you know basically trying uh I would say trying
to rape me so I started fighting him back according to Jackie he continued to assault her he threw me onto the floor
he punched me in the face when she tried to take her phone out he grabbed her on
arms so hard the phone flew and smashed into the wall unsteady on her feet and unable to call for help she did
everything she could to escape I had to crawl down the stairs I was so disoriented and craw down West
Olympic Boulevard to my car screaming for help though seriously injured and traumatized she did not report it
there's a huge stigma that surrounds women that come forward with sexual assault but when she heard about Christy
and Hilda she decided to act in all 20 women came forward Pierce was charged with seven sexual assaults detective
Calvin Yu thinks that's just a fraction of those who suffered at the hands of David Pierce are there more Jane Do's
out there yes I would definitely say so how many do you believe I say 100 100 that's incredible and that's just based
on the people that you have spoken with directly yes I'm just so grateful that they came forward and I can't even
imagine how the level of bravery that you have to have in order to testify to a room of strangers that you were so
intimately violated and as the women testified one by one defense attorney V could see what was happening the
prosecution strategy was working the victims coming to Court testifying some who broke down in tears all gave the
same testimony and I am watching the jury they're looking at him and the expression on the juror's faces are like
how could you how could you do this after the Jane Doe testified the prosecution called Pierce's friend
Michael ansbach who was in the apartment that night and later arrested along with
Pierce and Osborne on boach took this video of Christy and Hilda minutes after Pierce gave them wine and cocaine at the
apartment christe's lying on the couch it looks like she's on her way to becoming
unconscious in his testimony ansbach again said he also used the same cocaine got violently ill and then passed out
when he woke up he said Pierce asked him to check on Christie and when he did anbo said it looked like she was not
breathing Hilda he said was in Pierce's bedroom according to ansbach this is when Pierce told him dead girls don't
talk like Pierce and Osborne ansbach never called for help his charges were later
dropped on day 11 and against the advice of his attorney David Pierce who pleaded
not guilty was sworn in and testified so he got on his stand and he did his best to try to say everybody was
wrong and he was right he was apparently the only one telling the truth at the entire
trial on the 12th day pierce his roommate Brant Osborne who also pleaded not guilty takes the stand so Osborne's
role was to help get rid of the bodies first and foremost he helped carry the girls at
first he helped formulate the plan in terms of what they're going to tell the security
guards Osborne testified he was dumbfounded by Pierce's behavior and was emotional crying more than once on the
stand saying he played no part in a coverup because he didn't have a complete picture of what was really
going on Yan for one was not buying it he's basically claiming to be an innocent
bystander in the situation and that he's also a victim in the situation but there
are facts that prove that he helped David piss covered up the question is whether the jury will believe either
man after 3 weeks the trial took a toll on christe's family we sat and had a hold our mouth
closed while they battered and I feel like like they destroyed my daughter's reputation uh it was definitely
difficult being in the same room as them did I have an overwhelming urge to throw something really hot at their
heads yeah in closing prosecutor Mariano hits back at the defense just because Christy
and Hilda did drugs on their own that night doesn't make them responsible for their own deaths David Pierce took care
of that Mariano argued he didn't care about violating them in the most awful way he didn't care that by drugging
Christy and Hilda that they could die and she repeats the words of ansbach attributed to David pierce the words
that rang in the ears of everyone who loved Christy and Hilda he wanted them to die because dead girls don't
talk hey good afternoon everybody attorneys for Osborne and Pierce told jurors there simply was not enough
direct evidence linking them to the crime and that there's a strong case for reasonable
doubt now it's up to the jury to draw its own conclusion about brand Osborne and David
Pierce JY Giles made her decision a long time ago Pierce is a sick slimy lizard that
sits and prays and sneaks and his fight is deadly as we're sitting here waiting on
the voting for the case I just want to um I'm here for till the end for christe's family it's been a
long and wrenching road to get here for you what does Justice for Christie look like I
mean there's no justice for Christie there's only preventing him from doing it again I think that's the only Justice
we can get and for Hilda's mother who could not travel to be in court the last 3 years without her daughter
have been its own trial nothing can bring her back again but the whole she lives in our lives
will be always there February 4th 2025 after 2 days of deliberations the jury is back matter of the people of the
State of California versus David Brian Pierce we the jury and above entitled action find the defendant David Bryan
Pierce guilty of the crime of first-degree murder upon Christy GES David Pierce guilty we get that guilty on the first
one and side of relief guilty of the crime of first-degree murder upon Hilda Marcel Cabas arzola Hilda comes up
guilty again another side of reliefs and then guilty of all the sexual assaults of seven Jane does I don't think I pr at
all until I heard a guilty on every single one a lot of relief not just for my sake but definitely for all of the
victims Jane do finally had their day in court and were believed I felt this huge
weight released off me it was almost like a euphoric feeling we showed the jury what
kind of man this is but the jury is deadlocked when it comes to brand Osborne a mistrial is
declared I was surprised definitely disappointed at at the hungery um I thought the trial made clear that he had
a definitely a hand in their desk what is there to question he was aware of christe's and Hilda's condition he's a
grown man that stands on his own two feet he withheld medical help from Hilda and christe and until they were
dead I'm not happy they perfectly could save her life and they chose to not do it for me that's not Justice at at least
in that part I am here standing for me and hild's Mom Marcela now there's an unbreakable bond
between the mothers who must live without their daughters our daughters individually were like soul sisters both
of them lost their souls at the hand of the same man same way and that will be forever
entwined and before she leaves the courthouse there is a final plea from Dusty as much as it hurts to lose my
baby girl her body was able to tell the story and her sharing her Loc a technology told us where she was how
long she was so please within your own families share locations you never know when you're
going to not be able to get in touch with somebody when you look at photos of Christian Hilda what do you
see I see beauty I see myself when I was 24 I will remember them as as strong independent
women I'll remember them as beautiful souls free Spirits women that were coming to LA to pursue their
dreams two young women who loved their families they're animals and their lives I want to remember her as the
Bright Beautiful Soul that she was Fernanda how do you hope your big sister is remembered as someone who had a lot
of Dreams Ambitions very intelligent funny she was happy to be alive [Music] [Music]
need more time with 48 Hours go deep behind every True Crime episode with firsthand accounts from 48 Hours
investigations were you at all prepared for what happened in this case shock is the word that comes to mind get inside
the twists and turns and get in on the case listen to postmortem from 48 hours now available wherever you get your
podcasts

A man charged with murder for poisoning two women tells a friend, "dead girls don't talk." Brave survivors speak out on their behalf. "48 Hours" contributor Jonathan Vigliotti reports. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

For video licensing inquiries, contact: licensing@veritone.com

Brief Summary

The trial of David Pierce and Brand Osborne reveals the tragic overdose deaths of Christy Giles and Hilda Cabales, highlighting systemic issues in sexual assault cases.

Key points

A Sister's Desperation. Yanela reflects on the panic and urgency to find her sister Christy after she goes missing.
Detectives Under Pressure. Detectives feel the weight of the case as they search for evidence.
The Final Goodbye. Hilda's family gathers to say goodbye as she is taken off life support.
The Chilling Statement. A key phrase from the investigation that encapsulates the danger posed by the accused.
The Overdose Murder Trial. David Pierce and Brand Osborne face trial for the deaths of Christy Giles and Hilda Cabales.
David Pierce Found Guilty. After a lengthy trial, David Pierce is found guilty of first-degree murder and multiple sexual assaults.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It's all on you, there's no one else going to solve this thing for you.

The pressure on detectives to solve a complex case.

4:05WatchApr 3, 2025

Tension

85/ 100High tension

More from 48 Hours

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.