48 Hours - Christy and Hilda's Last Dance

Episode Date: April 17, 2023

After a night out, two women were dumped outside hospitals by masked men. Were the men good Samaritans or did they play a role in the women’s deaths? "48 Hours" contributor Jonathan Vigliotti reports.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app today. Even if you love the thrill of true crime stories as much as I do, there are times when you want to mix it up. And that's where Audible comes in, with all the genres you love and new ones to discover. Explore thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Listening to Audible can lead to positive change in your mood, your habits,

and even your overall well-being. And you can enjoy Audible anytime, while doing household chores, exercising, commuting, you name it. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. In 2014, Laura Heavlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a Marine had moved to the California desert

to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military. And when they do, the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. When people think of Los Angeles, they think of the glitz, the glamour, the stardom. But there's a dark side to Los Angeles. a stardom. But there's a dark side to Los Angeles. My name is Barry Tellis, and I'm a retired homicide detective from the Los Angeles Police Department. This is a dangerous, dangerous town. There are predators, con men, people who pretend to be someone they're not.

And those are the people who prey on the innocent. Christy Giles and Hilda Marcela Cabrales were two young women in their 20s. They were new friends, and then together, they're sort of getting to know each other and enjoy Olay and everything it has to offer. I'm Mary Fulginiti,

and I'm a former prosecutor and defense attorney. Hilda Marcela Cabrales just moved from Mexico, and she's loving Los Angeles. She was looking for the American dream, I guess. I was Marcela's best friend. I think it was a dream for her to be there and being able to do what she loved, being an architect and interior designer. Aloha!

My wife, Christy, was a model. She was going out for shoots all the time and she traveled the world doing that and having amazing experiences. She was the most fun and interesting person I'd ever met. She didn't live inside society's box. Definitely not. She was a very free spirit.

They're two gorgeous girls who are not only pursuing their careers, but also wanting to have fun at the same time. And they do what a lot of kids do in their 20s. They go out. And they party. They go out. And they party. Christy's plan for the evening was to go out with some friends and have a fun night.

They went to go see one of their favorite DJs at this event in East LA. Seems like a weird place to have a party. Well, it's a warehouse, and we have warehouse parties all over Los Angeles. And they just have music, drugs, alcohol, and people. And this is a target-rich environment for victims of predators. They met a man who passed himself off as a big shot Hollywood producer, and that just clearly wasn't the case. And it was just dumb luck that they met him.

He doesn't care about other people. The longer and longer I didn't hear back, asking her if she's okay, the more worried I got. We were just waiting for some news, any news. And at that point, like, I'm in real panic. Once they left that party, that was the last time their loved ones ever heard from them again. Hot shot Australian attorney Nicola Gaba was born into legal royalty. Her specialty? Representing some of the city's most infamous gangland criminals. However, while Nicola held the underworld's darkest secrets, the most dangerous

secret was her own. She's going to all the major groups within Melbourne's underworld, and she's informing on them all. I'm Marsha Clark, host of the new podcast, Informants Lawyer X. In my long career in criminal justice as a prosecutor and defense attorney, I've seen some crazy cases, and this one belongs right at the top of the list. She was addicted to the game she had created. She just didn't know how to stop. Now, through dramatic interviews and access, I'll reveal the truth behind one of the world's most shocking legal scandals.

Listen to Informants Lawyer X exclusively on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. And listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad-free right now. Did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder? Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, early and ad-free, with a 48-hour plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. Hilda Marcela Plasencia, a doctor in Durango, Mexico, was used to handling medical emergencies, but nothing prepared her for the call she got about her eldest daughter and namesake.

Hilda Marcela Cabrales. I received a phone call in the middle of the night saying that she was so ill. She was very bad. She was intubated. The 26-year-old architect was fighting for her life in the ICU at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Los Angeles. You are a doctor. What was going on in your mind at the

time? What happened? What happened to her? Why is she that bad? Another mother in Corner, Alabama was also getting shattering news. Dusty Giles' daughter, Christy, was in the ER at a completely different Los Angeles hospital, the Southern California Medical Center. I was just told, I'm very sorry to inform you, Ms. Giles, but she was dropped off at our hospital on the outside, kind of like a bag of garbage. on the outside, kind of like a bag of garbage. And she didn't make it. And I said, what do you mean she didn't make it? They said, it is now a police matter. I hung up and I fell apart. Christy, who had just turned 24, was dead of a drug overdose. But when detectives heard how she was dropped off, they immediately suspected foul play.

Hospital staff told investigators a black Prius without license plates pulled up here to the ER entrance. Two men told the staff they found the woman, quote, passed out on the curb somewhere nearby and were trying to be good Samaritans by bringing her to the hospital. They left without giving their names or phone numbers. It was appalling to me. Barry Tellis, a former Los Angeles Police Department homicide detective and CBS News consultant says nothing about that story made sense. Nobody just drops somebody off and say, hey, by the way, we're driving down the street. We found this girl passed out on the sidewalk. It was an unfathomable ending to a life bursting with exuberance. When Christy came into her room, she was like a tornado.

Let's do some donuts! exuberance. When Christy came into her room, she was like a tornado. Her personality was big. It was loud. You just couldn't help but love her for it. Her big sister, Misty Weldon, says life for Christy was one big adventure. There was nothing in the world that she was afraid to do. Christy went skydiving. Yeah, how was that, huh? Christy rode camels in Morocco. We rode donkeys around the Grand Canyon. When not out adventuring, Christy was traveling the world

as a high fashion model for Wilhelmina. traveling the world as a high fashion model for Wilhelmina. The one-time soccer star traded in her cleats for a pair of heels at the age of 15. 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. I got a text message from her that said, I did something, don't tell mom. I thought, oh no, what has she done? And I got a text message that said, I got married.

And I thought, to who? To a South African-born artist, photographer, and special effects editor, 17 years her senior named Jan Siliere. They met through friends at an art gallery in L.A. I understand that before all of this, you were not the marrying type. Um, I don't know where you heard that, but it's true. Once I was with her, you know, it was different. Jan planned to pop the question just seven months after meeting at the Burning Man Arts Festival in the Nevada desert. But in the moment, they figured, why wait? Instead, we just decided to

elope. We just got married right there. Christy's mom and dad, Leslie, never expected to hear their daughter's name in the same sentence as Elope and Burning Man. Needless to say, it did not go over well. Christy, I can't believe you've done this. Your dad didn't even get to walk you down the aisle. And she goes, oh, no, no, no, no. We got married, but we are full on having a wedding in Alabama. The newlyweds came to Alabama and Christy and her mom found the perfect wedding dress to wear at a later date. Back in L.A., Christy started studying interior design, which led to a new friendship with Hilda Marcella.

Hilda was an architect from Mexico who had just moved to L.A. to start her dream job in interior design. Do you remember when she said she wanted to go to Los Angeles? And how did you feel when she told you that? to go to Los Angeles. And how did you feel when she told you that? I feel very happy for her, but very sad for me because we are very close. Luis Cabrales checked in with his daughter every day she was in L.A. Message, daughter, I miss you. I miss you too, father. Never told me daddy. Always told me father. No one was surprised that the summa cum laude graduate of the prestigious university in Monterrey, Mexico, was thriving in L.A. Fernanda Cantassani and Alain Bettencourt,

who call her Marcella or Marce, were two of her closest friends in Monterey. She always gave her 100% in everything she did, in her friendships, with her family, with her job, with herself too. She had already lived in South Korea and traveled the world. How many countries in all? 22 countries. 22 countries. For such a young girl.

She was very determined. She also knew how to have a good time. She loved to dance. She loved to dress up. Every single person that met her loved Marcela. Including her dog, a Weimaraner named Tomas. Tomas! She left him with Alon when she moved to L.A.,

but planned to call for him when she got her bearings. That call would never come. Just four months after moving to L.A., Hilda was in a coma. Her life in the balance. Her frantic parents and sister Fernanda racing to her side. And I thought, when we are there, things will change. She will, she will wake up. In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand, lies a tiny volcanic island.

It's a little-known British territory called Pitcairn, and it harboured a deep, dark scandal. There wouldn't be a girl on Pit Can once they reach the age of 10 that would still have heard it. It just happens to all of them. I'm journalist Luke Jones, and for almost two years, I've been investigating a shocking story that has left deep scars on generations of women and girls from Pit Can.

When there's nobody watching, nobody going to report it, people will get away with what they can get away with. In the Pitcairn Trials, I'll be uncovering a story of abuse and the fight for justice that has brought a unique, lonely Pacific island to the brink of extinction. Listen to the Pitcairn Trials exclusively on Wondery+. Join Wondery in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. a brand new podcast from Wondery and T-Boy about the surprising origin stories of the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk takers who brought them to life.

Like, did you know that Super Mario, the best-selling video game character of all time, only exists because Nintendo couldn't get the rights to Popeye? Or Jack, that the idea for the McDonald's Happy Meal first came from a mom in Guatemala? From Pez dispensers to Levi's 501s to Air Jordans. Discover the surprising stories of the most viral products. Plus, we guarantee that after listening, you're going to dominate your next dinner party. So follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery app or

wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to The Best Idea Yet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus. It's just the best idea yet, early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+. It's just the best idea yet. This Hilda Marcella, the vibrant young architect who loved laughing with friends, traveling the world with her sister. Oh, you're in the balloon here. Yeah, we are inside the balloon. And playing with her dog, Tomas, looked nothing like the Hilda Marcella her family saw

when they arrived at the hospital in Los Angeles. My heart broke in thousand pieces because I saw 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. I was very shocked, very impressed.

I never expected looking at her like this. Like Christy, 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. But her friends and family were sure that this early-to-bed, early-to-rise, health-conscious young woman would never have willingly taken such a toxic cocktail of drugs. When you heard overdose, you immediately thought drugged. Yeah, drugged. I was sure someone did this to her.

When you were told that the cause of death was an overdose, did that add up to you? Absolutely not. Definitely not something that she would have done to herself ever. That's just not her. Christy's autopsy showed she had cocaine, fentanyl, and GHB, known as the date rape drug, in her system. In the hours and days after Christy's death, Jan was determined to get the truth. I wanted to get to the bottom of what exactly what happened that night. Jan began putting the puzzle pieces together starting on the evening of Friday, November 12, 2021, the night of the warehouse party. He made a timeline based on what he knew about Christy's plans, conversations with Christy's friends, and the digital trail she left behind.

Jan, who had gone to San Francisco to visit his dad, says Christy spent the early evening doing what she loved most. She was enjoying a lovely sunset. She took our cat for a walk on the beach. Sand panther, sand panther, oh, oh. Those were the last pictures she sent me of herself. And she said, I wish you were here, and I will forever wish that I was there, too. Christy, Hilda, and a friend who does not want to be identified had planned a girls' night out. They kicked it off at the Soho House in West Hollywood,

then moved on to a warehouse party after midnight where these photos were taken. This cell phone video posted on social media shows Hilda and Christy dancing in the VIP section. In an area which is more protected and safer to be in. By then, Jan had gone to bed. When he woke up the next morning, it was now Saturday, November 13th, he saw that Christy had texted him.

I texted her back and sort of didn't hear anything from her. At first, he just assumed she was sleeping in. But after a few hours with no word, he noticed something strange. They shared locations on their phones. I saw that she was at a location that I didn't recognize. Her phone was located at 8641 West Olympic Boulevard. So a little orange flag at the back of your head. I still hadn't heard back from her, and I saw her location had suddenly moved to my hospital. I called the hospital.

They told me that she was in the emergency room, and at that point, like, I'm in raw panic. Jan raced to the airport to catch a flight back to L.A. I call her parents, let them know that something terrible had happened and that she's in the emergency room. And then her mom called the emergency room and called me back probably five minutes later, letting me know that Christy had passed away. In less than 24 hours, your world was turned upside down. Shattered.

Jan went straight to the hospital. Christy and Hilda's friend, who had been at the warehouse party with them but left early, was already here. She had been desperately trying to get in touch with Hilda, but could not reach her. They were about to find out why. She got a call from a different hospital like two hours later saying that Hilda was just checked in there. And then, like, obviously, all our alarm bells are going off in our heads when both girls are dropped off at two different hospitals two hours apart.

Like, something terrible happened that night. And Jan believed whatever happened took place at that mysterious address on Olympic Boulevard. He put it on Instagram, asking for help. 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, that there's a lot of stuff out on the internet about him. His name was David Pierce. Hilda and Christy were believed to have met him for the first time at the warehouse party. David Pierce flew under the radar for a long time. But his past was about to catch up with him as he faces serious charges, says former prosecutor Mary Fulginiti. So at best, a con man.

At worst, a criminal man. At worst... A criminal. A sexual predator. A drug dealer. A murderer. A murderer. Learn more about how Jan uncovered clues in the deaths of his wife Christy and her friend Hilda at 48Hours.com. As Hilda Marcella lay in a hospital bed fighting for her life in L.A., Dusty and Leslie Giles were preparing to bury their daughter Christy in Alabama.

Half her ashes would go to Jan to scatter in the places they loved. Dusty placed the rest in an urn inside a butterfly box and gently wrapped it in the wedding dress she never had the chance to wear. It was important because I know how happy she was

when she found it. She swirled like a princess, literally, in it. Within hours of Christy's death, detectives on the case were following clues from Christy herself. Her pinging phone had led them straight to the apartment of this man, David Pierce, 8641 West Olympic Boulevard. Police drive over there. Oh my God, there's the car. Boom, there's the car. Same car. Tellis says police believed it was the same black Prius with no license plates that dropped Christy off at the hospital. And it's like, okay, I think we have our man. They retraced the movements of the women that night,

which would become the basis of a police affidavit. When they combed through those pictures from the party at the warehouse, there was David Pierce with Hilda, partying it up in the VIP section. It sounds like VIP access gave David Pierce instant credibility. Absolutely. It's all part of the manipulation. He must be a good guy. He's in the VIP section. It was likely all part of a plan to meet women, a plan that included drugs, says the retired detective. Based on the witness's statements and the police investigation, detective. Based on the witness's statements and the police investigation, David Pierce comes with a bag of cocaine, an ounce estimated, and David Pierce came here to share it with whoever he could

meet. According to Tellis, cocaine is a hot ticket at these parties, at least on that night, even for Hilda and Christy. The police recovered this text exchange between the two women starting at 4.21 a.m. while still at the warehouse party. Do you want coke? Asks Hilda. Yes, replies Christy.

Hilda texted back, I'm in the kitchen. Let's do a line. According to the police affidavit, a witness observed Pierce provide what looked like cocaine to Giles and Cabrales, who consumed it. Police say half an hour later, this surveillance video obtained by 48 Hours shows Hilda and Christy leaving with David Pierce and two other men, his roommate, Brant Osborne, and their friend, photographer Michael Ansbach. They all get into Osborne's car. At 5.11 a.m., according to the police affidavit, surveillance video, which has not been released because of the ongoing investigation,

shows Osborne's car arriving here in front of the apartment. According to the affidavit, several people got out of the vehicle and headed to the entrance of the residence. 19 minutes later, at 5.30 a.m., Christy sends from inside Pierce's apartment a wide-eyed emoji text to Hilda saying, let's go. Hilda replies, I'll call an Uber. 10 minutes away. Hilda replies, I'll call an Uber, 10 minutes away. 13 minutes later, according to the affidavit, a car believed to be the Uber pulls up. After waiting five minutes, it drives away without Christy and without Hilda. How did you process that? I mean, it's just confirming my worst fears again that they were there at that place against

their will. They didn't want to be there. They wanted to leave. Mary Fulgeniti, a former federal prosecutor and defense attorney and CBS News consultant, has reviewed the police affidavit and court documents. She says this text is an important piece of evidence. Something or someone stopped them in their tracks because they never got out and they never left. No one knows exactly what went on inside that apartment for the next 13 hours, but according to the affidavit, a neighbor heard someone in pain and moaning on and off during the hours of 10.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For reasons not known, the neighbor did not call police. She's clearly in a distressed state that everyone seems to just be ignoring.

And when I say everyone, not just Pierce or Osborne, but there's a third individual that appears to have been at that apartment, at least for part or all of the night, and that's Michael Ann's book. Whatever happened inside the apartment was hidden from public view, not so outside the apartment. Another key piece of evidence, images captured on security cameras. But the cameras are in the adjacent building, right next door, pointing right in this direction. Although Tellis has not seen the video, the police affidavit describes it in detail. At 419 in the afternoon, 11 hours after they'd

arrived at the apartment, Pierce and Osborne are caught on camera carrying Christy down the back stairs. It shows Pierce exit the door, the back door, looks in both directions, making sure the coast is clear, making sure there's not going to be any witnesses that sees me carrying this body to my car. Both men get into the Prius. According to the affidavit, the men are captured on security cameras trying to disguise themselves. You see them putting on a hat, a mask, and a hoodie, and then they drive away and they drive to a hospital, Southern California Medical Center. Shortly after, according to police, Ansbach leaves the residence carrying bags of unknown items. Pierce and Osborne return to the apartment to get Hilda. They carry her partially clad body out to the Prius. And again, they leave. They don't go to the apartment to get Hilda, they carry her partially clad body out to the Prius.

And again, they leave. They don't go to the same hospital. They go to a different hospital, Kaiser Permanente. Why not bring them at the same time to the same hospital? Who knows? They're trying to conceal their actions. They're trying to keep the police at bay, and they don't want to hit the radar.

And they do the same thing. They drop the body, they tell the same story, and then they take off without leaving their name, their phone number, or anything to identify themselves with. And Hilda, what is her state at this point? Hilda was still alive. They got her to the hospital, and she was declared what we call brain dead.

How did you process that when you heard that news? The worst day of my life. After almost two weeks on life support, it was time for Hilda Marcella's family to say goodbye. Hilda, what were your final moments with your daughter? They were so hard, you know. 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 give you a big hug, a kiss.

The family decided to donate Hilda Marcela's organs. Her mom remembers the medical staff lining the halls as the family accompanied Hilda to the OR. The medical team was clapping to honor her, to say thank you for giving life to others. Hilda Marcela Cabrales was pronounced dead one day before her 27th birthday. Back in Monterrey, Mexico, her friends gathered to remember her, all dressed in white, at her favorite park. We brought her favorite thing to drink and her favorite cake. to drink and her favorite cake. At first we were crying, but at some point we put her favorite music on. And we just started dancing and we were laughing and hugging and it was beautiful.

I felt like she was there. Three weeks after Hilda's death, a break in the case. Police have arrested three men in connection with the deaths of a model and her friend last month. David Pierce, 39, Brant Osborne, 42, and Michael Ansbach, 47, were arrested in connection to Hilda and Christy's deaths, but not officially charged. Osborne on the left and Ansbach were eventually released, but not Pierce. He was held on four unrelated sexual assault charges. New tonight, a Beverly Hills man has been charged with sexually assaulting four different women. When this case hit the media, more victims showed up.

I know that guy. He did this to me. The prosecution is alleging in cases dating back to 2010 that Pierce lured four different Jane Does to his apartment and gave all but one a special drink, causing them to get dizzy or black out. The allegations include forcible rape, sexual penetration with a foreign object, having sex with someone who's unconscious. Erica Bergman, who also goes by Erica Poe, is not one of the Jane Does, but she says she was so traumatized by Pierce, she tried to warn other women about him on a blog called The Dirty as far back as 2013. She discovered

she had a lot of company. There's a lot of commonalities in our stories. Erica says she met Pierce at a low point in her life. She was getting a divorce and money was tight. Initially, she says she was taken in by him. He would talk a lot about celebrities that he knew and introduce himself as a producer for Paramount Pictures. So he was really larger than life kind of personality. But she says it didn't take long for her to realize that Pierce, who often introduced himself as Dave from Paramount Pictures, lied. He never worked at the movie studio.

David Pierce is a very bad person. Erica believes that one night he drugged her. She slept till 4 p.m. the next day and woke up feeling strange and groggy. And Dave is bouncing around the room kind of laughing and giddy. And he started to tell me how while I was passed out, he had assaulted me while I was sleeping, sexually assaulted me. And the things that he had done to me, and it was incredibly degrading.

Erica says she wanted to leave but felt trapped. She says he threatened to send compromising pictures to her estranged husband, whom she was battling in divorce court. She reluctantly stayed, but says the violence only got worse. He slammed my head onto the marble floor and the sound in my ears was like an egg cracking and I can't get that sound out of my ears. Erica says she was too scared to press charges, but soon left for good. Then it all came rushing back when she heard about Christy and Hilda. My first gut instinct was that this was not an accident, that he had his name all over it. In May of 2022, the prosecution added three more counts of sexual assault against David Pierce. We've added three additional sexual assault charges with three additional victims.

And there was more. 40-year-old David Pierce has been charged with murder in connection with the women's deaths. After a seven-month investigation, the DA had enough evidence to indict David Pierce on two counts of murder, claiming David Pierce gave Christy and Hilda lethal amounts of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid drug dealers often mix with other drugs, unbeknownst to the user. It took months before David Pierce was charged with murder. What was your reaction?

I mean, definitely a relief, but also very sad. The police did not find any fentanyl-laced drugs in Pierce and Osborne's apartment, just drug paraphernalia. But Osborne, who has been charged as an accessory to murder after the fact, may have unwittingly explained why. According to the police affidavit, Osborne told co-workers if cops had found the drugs hidden underneath the cash inside the car, they would have been in big trouble. Not finding fentanyl-laced drugs creates a big challenge for the prosecution, says Fulgeniti. They're going to have to prove that David Pierce gave the girls these drugs and he knew at the time that it could harm them and he did so with conscious disregard. So they're going to have to prove that David Pierce

intended to kill these young women and that's not an easy threshold to overcome. Especially in light of witness statements that the women were doing drugs willingly, cocaine at the warehouse and earlier in the evening as well. Friends told police Christy and Hilda both had taken cocaine and ketamine, a popular club drug. How does this work in the defense's favor? Because fentanyl is a problem in this country and people are dying from fentanyl that they take recreationally because they believe that they're only taking cocaine. If you're the defense, that's the point you want to continue to drive home.

It's how do you hold these two men responsible for an epidemic that's really plaguing the entire country. That does not mean it will be an easy defense, says Josh Ritter. The former Los Angeles assistant D.A. is advising Jan on legal issues and is now a practicing defense attorney. The problems that they're going to have, though, is how do you get around how those girls were treated afterwards? And how do you get around the history that this man has? And how do you get around the fact that Christy had the so-called date rape drug, GHB, in her system? Is GHB, is the date rape drug, something these women would have taken knowingly? Absolutely not.

That is a drug that's usually used by sexual predators, guys that want to take advantage of women and don't want them to remember or know about it. Hilda and Christy were still coherent at 5.30 a.m. on Saturday morning when they exchanged that text about calling an Uber. The text punctuated with a wide-eyed emoji. Something happened inside those 10 minutes between them calling the Uber and the Uber leaving that incapacitated them. According to the timeline in the affidavit,

Christy remained in that apartment for the next 11 hours, Hilda for 13, with one of them, according to a neighbor, moaning and groaning in pain most of the day. These two women could still be alive had David Pierce or Mr. Osborne called 911. Three digits on a phone. That could have changed everything. If found guilty of all charges against him, David Pierce could face 128 years to life in prison. What is David Pierce currently charged with? David Pierce is charged with 11 counts, 7 counts of drugging and sexually assaulting, forcibly raping and or sodomizing several women, two counts of murder and two counts of providing a controlled substance, that being fentanyl. In a bold decision, the state will combine the sexual assault and murder charges in one trial. Why include sexual assault charges in a murder case?

If you look at this case in its totality, I mean, this is David Pierce's M.O. He lures women back to his apartment. He provides them with a drink. And then they start to feel dizzy or they black out and he sexually assaults them. While Christy and Hilda's autopsy stated there was no physical or sexual trauma, nurses who treated Hilda noted slight bleeding in her vagina and a review of her sexual assault examination found a small abrasion. I know this is a difficult conversation. Do you think Hilda and Christy were potentially raped that night?

Of course I believe that. That's the reason why they drugged them. Josh Ritter believes the testimony of the women who were allegedly drugged and raped by Pierce will help jurors see a dangerous pattern of behavior. Their testimony is going to be huge. One woman, perhaps the defense can poke holes in that. Two women, it begins to sound like, is this really a coincidence or not? But three or four women or more, and you realize you're dealing with a monster. It turns out David Pierce had been on the police radar for years. According to the police affidavit, he was arrested in 2014 for sexual assault, along with an additional rape case.

But these cases are often difficult to prove and were ultimately rejected by the district attorney's office. Something Christy's sister, Misty, finds unforgivable. To know that he had been arrested and had been released is just appalling to me. It's really sad that two beautiful girls had to die in order for him to be in jail right now. David Pierce has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. Brant Osborne, who is charged as an accessory to murder after the fact, has also pleaded not guilty and is out on bail.

We caught up with him outside of court. Do you have any comment? I have no comment. I'm innocent. Pierce's lawyer also had no comment, but at the time of the incident, Pierce told detectives, at the end of the day, I didn't do anything wrong. I just tried to make the situation, you know, right. So far, the prosecution has declined to charge Michael Ansbach. 48 Hours has learned that he's cooperating with prosecutors and will likely testify against his two friends. But until the case goes to trial, Dusty and Leslie Giles, thanks to a social media campaign, will be at every court hearing. campaign will be at every court hearing.

Never letting David Pierce forget that Christy was more than just a name on a court docket. She was a real person. She was a daughter. Come on, Christy, come on. A sister, a granddaughter. She was her daddy's best friend. I miss my daughter. We love you. In Mexico, Hilda Marcella's friends and family cherished the mementos she left behind. A lock of hair.

It's part of her. A diploma. So she wasn't just smart, she was the top of her class. She was the top of the top. A dog named Tomas, who now lives with Alain. The love we have for Marce, it's going to Tomas. He reminds us about her so much. Yeah, he has become my emotional support, my emotional fortress.

I will be very lost. So, yeah. There is always and will always be a hope. And nothing can fill it. She loves to live. And I think that's the way we can honor her, living our lives in the best way. Hilda and Christy's families

hope the deaths of these young friends will not be in vain. She's here! This is a tragedy, but maybe this was the way to stop them. That's the only justice we can get. That's the only justice we can get.