The 39-year-old man charged in connection with the deaths of Instagram model Christy Giles and her friend Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault charges in court.
David Brian Pearce, of Beverly Hills, appeared in court in Los Angeles on Monday and pleaded not guilty to sexual assault charges against four more women, the district attorney’s office said.
Los Angeles County prosecutors also revealed that Mr Pearce had his passport and $30,000 (£22,240) in cash on him when he was arrested in connection to the November deaths of the model and her friend.
Deputy district attorney Kristine Mariano said to the judge at Monday’s hearing. “I do believe he poses as a threat to the public and is a flight risk.”
As The New York Post revealed, the Hollywood producer had searched for countries that do not hold extradition treaties with the United States following a series of incidents involving women in Los Angeles.
His attorney had asked for his $3.4m (£2.5m) bail to be overturned but that request was reportedly refused by a judge, who told the court that the 39-year-old was “engages in violence … he is a serial rapist”.
“In terms of public safety and seriousness of the crimes, the court finds he is a threat to public safety,” said judge Victoria Wilson, according to The Post.
Mr Pearce was charged with four counts of sexual assault in relation to four incidents that occurred between 2010 and 2021 in the same month as his arrest for the deaths of Ms Giles and her friend Ms Cabrales-Arzola.
The two women died of drug overdoses after being abandoned outside two different hospitals in Los Angeles last November.
Both families said neither of the two women, who had been out with friends before leaving with a group of men that reportedly included Mr Pearce, would have taken enough drugs to pose a risk of death.
Mr Pearce, a Hollywood producer and former actor, was arrested in December alongside Brandt Osborn 42, and cinematographer Mike Ansbach, 42. No charges have been filed.
In a press release in December, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Mr Pearce was “accused of sexually assaulting a woman in August 2010. He also allegedly raped a woman in February 2019 and two other women in separate incidents last year”.
No further information was available on Monday, and the Hollywood producer is due back in court on 17 February to face the four charges.
An attorney for Mr Pearce, Jacob Glucksman, told The Independent in a statement: The allegations against Mr Pearce are very weak and pieced together solely based on circumstantial evidence. The DA has no forensic evidence and all of the witnesses have questionable stories.”
“Mr Pearce maintains his innocence and we look forward to our day in court when the full scope of the evidence can be presented,” he added.
