48 Hours “Dead Girls Don’t Talk” June 20 2026 Preview
CBS News’ 48 Hours presents “Dead Girls Don’t Talk” on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. Correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti revisits one of Los Angeles’ most disturbing recent criminal cases, examining the crimes of David Pearce, a man convicted of murdering two young women and sexually assaulting seven others.
The case centers on the deaths of Christy Giles, 24, and Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola, 26, who were found abandoned outside separate Los Angeles hospitals in November 2021. Investigators determined both women had been drugged and left without medical assistance. Giles was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital, while Cabrales-Arzola died days later from the effects of the drugs administered to her.
Prosecutors argued that Pearce targeted women in Los Angeles nightlife settings, supplying them with dangerous substances before sexually assaulting them. During the investigation, detectives uncovered evidence linking him not only to the deaths of Giles and Cabrales-Arzola but also to multiple sexual assaults involving other women. According to prosecutors, Pearce chillingly remarked that “dead girls don’t talk,” a statement that became central to the prosecution’s narrative.
In May 2026, a Los Angeles jury found Pearce guilty of two counts of murder and numerous sexual assault-related charges involving seven victims. He was awaiting sentencing at the time of the broadcast. The convictions followed years of investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department and prosecutors who pieced together evidence from survivors, digital records, toxicology reports, and witness testimony.
A major focus of “Dead Girls Don’t Talk” is the courage of the women who survived encounters with Pearce. One survivor, identified only as “Jackie,” speaks publicly with 48 Hours about her experience and her determination to seek justice. Rather than describing herself as a victim, she tells Vigliotti, “I’m a fighter.”
The broadcast also features interviews with LAPD Detective Jonathan Vander Lee and Lieutenant Calvin You, who discuss how investigators built the case and worked to identify additional victims. Their investigation revealed patterns of predatory behavior that prosecutors say extended over several years.
“Dead Girls Don’t Talk” explores not only the murders of Christy Giles and Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola but also the efforts of survivors, investigators, and families who refused to let the victims’ voices be silenced. The episode examines how a complex investigation exposed a serial predator and led to convictions that many loved ones hoped would finally deliver justice.
