GARDENDALE, Ala. (WIAT) — A Los Angeles murder has Alabama ties. A model from Gardendale was drugged and dumped at a hospital November 13, 2021.
The family of Christy Giles said she had both fentanyl and GHB, a date rape drug, in her system when she died.
The same thing happened to Christy’s friend Hilda Marcela Cabrales. She was dumped at another hospital a few hours away and put on life support for almost two weeks. Since Christy and Hilda’s deaths, one man has been charged and arrested for the two murders.
Christy’s mother Dusty Wayne started a GoFundMe in July 2022 to help fund trips to and from L.A. for herself and her husband for the hearings surrounding her daughter’s murder. The Giles’ said it’s important to them to make sure the man charged in Christy’s murder knows how much she was loved.
“We’re being good stewards with the money,” Dusty Wayne said. “We’re not blowing it. It’s not for anything else. It’s just so we can be there.”
Dusty and Leslie Wayne, Christy’s dad, have made the trip to L.A. five times to face their daughter’s accused killer in court.
“When you all see him in the courtroom, what goes through your head?” CBS 42 asked.
“I wouldn’t say on camera,” Leslie Wayne said. “I wouldn’t talk about it here.”
“I just look at him and I think, you’re a monster,” Dusty Wayne said. “You don’t look like it, but you’re a monster.”
The Giles family said they’re now awaiting trials for David Pearce, charged with two counts of murder and seven unrelated counts of sexual assault, and Brandt Osborn, charged with accessory after the fact.
CBS News 48 Hours did an exclusive story talking with legal experts as well as Christy and Hilda’s family about the case.
“David Pearce flew under the radar for a long time,” said Barry Telis, a former Los Angeles Police Department homicide detective and CBS News consultant.
“A criminal, a sexual predator, a drug dealer,” said Mary Fulginiti, a former prosecutor. “A murderer.”
The Giles said the district attorney has told them if they go to a trial, they should expect to be in L.A. for at least thirty to sixty days. The couple is trying to save up as much money as they can before a date is set, which could be anywhere from six months to a year from now.
“I’m fighting for her,” Dusty Wayne said. “We’re fighting for her.”
A fundraiser is being put on for the Giles on Sunday by the Charity Riders RC. All proceeds will go to the Giles and help them fund the long stay in L.A. during a trial.
The ride will start at 9:30 a.m. at the Harley Davidson’s in Trussville and will end at TP’s Miller’s Bar & Grill in Kimberly at 1 p.m. A raffle, auction, as well as live band performances and food truck vendors selling, will follow.
Further details about the fundraiser can be found on the Facebook event. The family’s GoFundMe is also still active.
