Kriti Mehrotra
It was November 2021 when Christy Lee Giles Cilliers and Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola died of drug overdoses after they were left outside separate hospitals mere hours apart. As carefully chronicled in CBS’ ’48 Hours: Christy and Hilda’s Last Dance’ and ’48 Hours: Dead Girls Don’t Talk,’ it was David Pearce and his roommate Brandt Osborn who had disposed of them. However, it wasn’t until well over seven months later that they were actually charged in connection to the same, with the latter soon pleading not guilty to all accusations against him.
Brandt Osborn Was Initially Arrested From His Workplace
Although not much information regarding Brandt Osborn’s background is publicly available as of writing, we do know he has had an interest in the entertainment industry for years. That’s likely why he chose to settle down in the heart of Hollywood in California, eventually even resulting in him showing off his skills to the right people and managing to kickstart his career. He showcased his acting prowess in movies and shows like ‘Obamaland Part 1: Rise of the Trumpublikans’ and ‘Nurse Jackie.’ However, everything turned upside down for Brandt in December 2021 when he was arrested for questioning in connection to Christy and Hilda’s murders three weeks prior.
The 42-year-old was taken away in handcuffs from the set of ‘NCIS: Los Angeles,’ where he was once again hired as an extra — these small roles were primarily what he did. He was arrested alongside his roommate, 38-year-old producer David Pearce, and their friend, 47-year-old photographer Michael Ansbach, but neither he nor the latter were officially charged back then. Things were different for David, though – he was kept in custody on four counts of unrelated sexual assault, following which three more were added as more alleged victims came forward.
According to official documents, it was reportedly this producer’s modus operandi to drug women before taking advantage of them in the worst ways, and Brandt allegedly got involved this time around. They supposedly held Christy and Hilda in their home for several hours before dropping them off at different hospitals one by one while disguised, but everything could have been much different had they just dialed 911 the second they realized something was wrong due to the drug consumption.
Brandt Osborn Allegedly Has a Mountain of Evidence Against Him
While Brandt was released without bond or indictment in 2021, things changed in the summer of 2022 as investigators discovered new, incriminating pieces of evidence against him. As per an affidavit, his statements to co-workers are what helped investigators get their big break because when they had initially searched his home, they had found no drugs, only drug paraphernalia. This wasn’t enough for them to officially charge him with anything, but it turns out he had once alleged that he and David had hidden the actual drugs “underneath the cash” in their car. Brandt reportedly also told fellow actor David Murrietta Jr. that he had had the craziest night of his life when two girls came back to his place and did drugs.
According to the latter, Brandt had expressed that he had left the residence for a while, only to hear his roommate say one of the girls (Christy) had died when he returned, yet he never dialed 911. “He checked her pulse, freaked out, decided not to call 911, and they decided what to do with the body,” David told New York Post, following which the women were left at different hospitals. As per official documents, there is security camera footage of Brandt and his roommate carrying Christy down their back stairs at 4:19 pm on November 13, 2021, after which they allegedly disguised themselves in a hoodie, hat, as well as mask and left in a black Prius without a license plate. Then, a short while later, according to the alleged footage, they returned before going through the entire process all over again with a partially clad, unconscious Hilda, only for their and their car’s description to match the hospital staff’s accounts of who had dropped off the women.
Charged in 2022, Brandt Osborn is Currently Awaiting a Re-Trial
In the end, with all these pieces of reported evidence, Brandt was formally charged with two counts of accessory to murder after the fact in connection to Christy and Hilda’s deaths in July 2022. He subsequently pleaded not guilty and was later released on a $40,000 bond, meaning he is currently a free man, waiting for a jury to decide on his fate — he remains innocent until found otherwise. The now 45-year-old Los Angeles, California, resident did stand trial around early 2025, but the judge had no choice but to declare the proceedings a mistrial because the jury deadlocked. However, since the state has decided to continue pursuing the charges against him, Brandt, who reportedly also goes by Bobby Delfrati, is back at square one, which means he will stand a re-trial and is presently waiting for the date for it to be scheduled.
Read More: Jan Cilliers: Where is Christy Giles’s Husband Now?
