Kriti Mehrotra
When Alabama native Christy Lee Giles Cilliers and Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola of Mexico suddenly lost their lives in Los Angeles in November 2021, it baffled two nations to the core. That’s because, as explored in CBS’ ’48 Hours: Christy and Hildy’s Last Dance’ and ’48 Hours: Dead Girls Don’t Talk,’ the two friends had arrived at two different hospitals presenting a drug overdose hours apart. It later came to light that they had actually been killed with a fentanyl-laced cocktail of drugs, something Christy’s husband, Jan Cilliers, couldn’t have even imagined in his worst nightmares.
Jan Cilliers and Christy Giles Had Eloped Following a Whirlwind Romance
Although born in South Africa, Jan Cilliers was a proud resident of California when he first came across already successful fashion model Christy Giles at an art gallery through mutual friends. As an artist himself – a flame performer, a photographer, as well as a special effects editor – his creative thinking and unusual lifestyle aligned with hers to a tee, leading to a cozy, crazy, yet stable romance. He honestly believed he wasn’t the marrying type before he met her, but once they fell in love and knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, he decided to pop the question.
Jan’s plan was to get down on one knee around their seven-month anniversary when they would be attending the Burning Man Arts Festival, but then he figured there was no point in waiting. Therefore, as soon as they got engaged, they got married – in other words, surrounded by a few close friends, the couple tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at the desert festival in Nevada. Christy was merely 21 at the time, whereas the artist was 17 years her senior, yet they didn’t care because they knew what they had was as real as it could be, even if they still genuinely wanted their family’s approval.
Christy’s family was definitely shocked when they heard the news, especially as they never expected her to elope or marry at a festival, but things improved once they actually got to know Jan. In fact, they gradually grew to appreciate him for his work, the way he cared for his wife, how he always made time for her even during busy days, and his support for her as she started studying interior design. The fact Jan and Christy were truly interested in having a full-blown wedding surrounded by loved ones in her home state also earned him brownie points, but alas, there was no celebration.
Jan Cilliers Was the First to Realize Something Was Wrong
It was just around the second weekend of November 2021 when Jan last saw Christy as he left home for San Francisco to visit his father, unaware that his world would turn upside down in hours. He still vividly remembers that his wife had sent him an adorable photo of herself and their beloved cat on the evening of the 12th (Friday) while they enjoyed a beautiful sunset on the beach. Alongside it, she had candidly said, “I wish you were here,” and to this day, the artist wishes he was too because she likely wouldn’t have gone on a late girls’ night out if he was and likely would’ve still been alive.
From Christy’s texts, Jan reportedly knew she and a couple of friends had started off their evening at the Soho House in West Hollywood before leaving for a warehouse party shortly after midnight. He fell asleep around that time, unaware his wife and her new friend, Hilda Marcela, would then allegedly get caught up in drugs and find themselves going to a stranger’s place, never to be seen alive again. When he awoke the next morning, he replied to the few texts the 24-year-old had sent before going about his day under the assumption she hadn’t quickly responded to him because she was sleeping in.
However, once the afternoon rolled around, Jan grew worried since it was rather uncharacteristic of Christy not to speak with him or sleep in for so long, so he checked her location. He knew something was wrong in the back of his mind when he saw that her cell was at 8641 West Olympic Boulevard, only to then be at the Southern California Medical Center mere hours later. So, he called the hospital as well as his in-laws, learned his wife was in the emergency room, and rushed to return home, just for his mother-in-law to call him back within 5 minutes to let him know Christy had passed. Jan later relayed all this information to the authorities too, which helped them zero in on Christy and Hilda’s killer.
Jan Cilliers is Moving Forward in Life Today
It was in July 2022 when self-proclaimed Hollywood film producer David Pearce and his roommate Brandt Osborn were arrested in connection to the November 13, 2021, double murders. While the former was charged with two counts of murder, along with 7 counts of unrelated sexual assault, the latter was indicted on accessory after the fact for allegedly helping David drop off the women at two different hospitals. When this news broke, Jan released a statement that read, in part, “There can never be true justice… Nothing will ever bring them back, and their deaths will affect the rest of our lives.”
However, Jan added he is “relieved” that action is being taken and that “the best we can hope for now is that the full truth comes out and that [the perpetrators] are put away for the maximum amount of time, so they can no longer hurt anyone else.” Therefore, of course, he followed their respective ensuing trials and genuinely breathed a sigh of relief when David was ultimately found guilty of most charges against him on February 4, 2025. On the flip side, despite Brandt’s court proceedings being ruled a mistrial after the jury deadlocked, he is still hopeful that what he believes to be justice will be served since the state is pursuing a re-trial.
As for Jan’s personal life, from what we can tell, he seems to be doing his best to move forward these days while still keeping the memories of his loving, joyful wife alive in his heart. In fact, while the grief of losing her still hangs over his head like a dark cloud, thanks to weekly trauma counseling, it appears as if he is now possibly involved with someone else, an architect and interior designer named Anastasia Kova. On a professional level, the 2002 performing arts university graduate and Los Angeles resident still serves as visual effects supervisor, flame performer, and photographer these days, and his projects take him all across the globe. From the Netherlands to Greece, from Ibiza to Portugal, and from Aspen to cities across the US, the Burning Man enthusiast has been everywhere in the past few years.
Read More: Where is Christy Giles’ Family Now?
