Jonathan Vigliotti
Appearances
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
Anne-Marie, police have what's known as its qualified immunity. And long story short, that sets a really high bar to convict police. You need to show an action. And in a situation like that, it almost comes down to having a text message where a police officer is saying, we're friends with Chris. Let's not arrest him. Obviously, that did not exist.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
When we spoke with Wendy, there was still this tremendous sense of guilt for not being there to do more to protect. She said that she was really struggling to live with that guilt. Though she did say the one thing that she was proud of was that until the very end, Angela fought and fought, and she did not give up.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
Unfortunately, and why this case is so tragic, she was so vocal, she fought for herself for so many months. And it was only in her death that her words finally brought some amount of justice from that last word, Chris, and the 911 call to all of the written words on those sticky notes. She fought for herself. It wasn't enough to save her life, but it was enough to bring her killer to justice.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
Great question, Anne-Marie. I've covered a number of 48 Hours cases. Usually the whodunit of these cases is the mystery. As it pertains to this story, the mystery was, why was it more done in time? Everyone we spoke with, from prosecutors to David O'Brien, he's the civil rights attorney representing Angela's family in that lawsuit against Bellevue Police, investigators
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
They all said more could have been done. There were two no-contact orders that were issued. The first one, Angela actually lifted herself because she wanted to give her marriage a second chance. But then it became very clear that the violence was only escalating. And so she successfully requested a second no-contact order.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
As you mentioned, a no-contact order means exactly that, no contact of any kind.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
that means no text messages no phone calls no emails and yet david o'brien says in a 37-day window in that period of time chris pritchard made 12 violations now he was arrested once he spent a day in jail for that he was released he was supposed to appear in court failed to do so twice there was then an arrest warrant issued for him seven days went by no arrest was made
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
In time, Angela was then killed, and it would take 24 hours after that to finally arrest Chris Pritchard.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
Anne-Marie, to give you some context, because this is what struck me when Mead and I were in Bellevue. You drive down that main street. We're talking about a population of 2,500 people. There was not a single traffic light. Mead points out the police were responding to loud barking from dogs. They had time to respond to these calls.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
Yeah, and David Bryan put it very well, and it still sticks with me. He said, a lot of people often look at these no contact orders as not being worth the paper they're written on, but in his view, they are very valuable as long as they are enforced, as you so accurately mentioned, Anne-Marie. And unfortunately, in this case, it just seemed like a lot of these violations were not enforced.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
And Mead, I know that you were really looking into this too, because there are ramifications. With each violation comes more time spent in jail. Is that correct? Yes, yes.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
I mean, you've got to think about it, and it's something I've been thinking about too, and it's a really good point. Victims of domestic violence, oftentimes the hardest first step is even recognizing you're a victim and then trying to figure out what steps to take. Very early on, Angela, with the support of her family, identified Chris Pritchard as a problem, and they took the right steps.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
They went immediately to law enforcement thinking that they would be protected. It wasn't enough. They were living in fear. And you mentioned it. Wendy, buddy, who was Angela's sister, was her shadow. Even having Angela at one point live with her. Unfortunately, the one time she wasn't by Angela's side is when Angela was attacked and killed.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
And on top of all that, you also had Angela's sons who live in the area who also were dealing with their own issues with Chris Pritchard. One son saying that Chris Pritchard would drive by the house in one case in just one hour, six times. How he knew this, Chris Pritchard drove a very specific truck, a Jeep with specific wheels that made a sound that was very easy to identify.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
Police were being called and included in all of this, but the family still had this real sense of helplessness.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
When that was exposed, the family says that ultimately led to this downward spiral and without a job. Now, having lost the respect of this very small community, he started to engage in drug use and abuse, methamphetamine, which then led to anger.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
And it only continued, according to those sticky notes, what we call a diary of domestic abuse that Angela documented so well that her sister Wendy shared with us.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
It wasn't just her identifying Chris in that moment that helped. A few seconds later, you hear Chris say an expletive directed towards Angela as he is standing over her lifeless body.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
And prosecutors did an incredible job showing premeditation. So really, you had prosecutors really detail and outline how this whole plan really started to form the day before the murder took place. So you had Chris, who...
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
borrowed a truck, something very different than the car that he drove, which was very recognizable, stashed that borrowed truck somewhere, then trekked through the woods to access the kennels at around 4 a.m. And we know this because of security footage outside of the kennels and then laid in wait.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
I think they were surprised. I think they were in a state of shock. And I think at that point they were in a state of preservation. Preserve that time so that cops, when they felt safe enough to contact them... could come. And so what they did to make that place feel safe for Chris, they invited him in, they offered him a drink. I think they also cooked up some microwavable pizza, sat down.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
The way that Jeff and Kim described it, they, the entire time, know he had just killed Angela Pritchard. but chris didn't act like anything was off like it was just a a normal night of catching up with friends and kim was so she was so taken aback by how surreal this all was she secretly snapped a photo on her phone just to document it as they also
48 Hours
Post Mortem | Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
contacted police at one point you had chris pritchard i guess so exhausted from everything that had happened being on the run he passed out in a lazy boy reclining chair and he was still asleep when police eventually made their way to the property and carried out the arrest
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
So this plays into his whole I'm a I'm a movie producer thing. What's wrong with this explanation?
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
know something else that didn't make it into this hour but i think helps shed some light on pierce's character is that when police first searched his home they found and this is their description to us a shrine to ron jeremy for those who don't know ron jeremy he's a former porn actor who was indicted in over 30 counts of sexual assault
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
Michelle, you were able to learn more about who Pierce was by talking to his family. What did they say?
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
The fallout from this tragedy far and wide impacting so many people. Pierce's defense attorney, Jeff Fall, he argued that because Christy and Hilda were using drugs before meeting Pierce that night, there was no case for murder. But we interviewed him and during our interview, I pressed him on his true feelings on Pierce.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
I want to play a clip that didn't make it into the show because I think it highlights how Vol was really thinking. Separate yourself from the defense attorney. You're a father. Put yourself in that setting as you are. Would you be saying the same thing right now?
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
I agree. I was surprised, too. You were in the room with me, and I don't know if this was your impression as this was unfolding. I felt like Val was waiting for me to give him permission to say those things, that he wanted to separate himself. from his client.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
He was struggling to balance his two hats, the hat as the defense attorney and the hat as a father having to digest the allegations and what he later described as a mountain of evidence against his client.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
He described him as a very difficult client. What did he mean by that?
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
How did how do we know that he stole those documents? How did this come out?
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
God, if I'm putting myself in his defense attorney's shoes, this is the worst case scenario. And I think we should point out that Vol, as we make it very clear in the episode, he was sixth in a long line of other defense attorneys that didn't last.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
So let's go to the conclusion of this trial. It was February 4th, 2025, two days of deliberations. The jury found Pierce guilty of the first degree murder of both Hilda and Christy and guilty of sexually assaulting the seven Jane Does. How did he react when the verdict was read, Michelle?
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
The jury was deadlocked when it came to Brant Osborne. This is Pierce's roommate who helped transport Hilda and Christy to the hospital. He was charged with accessory after the fact. In his case, there was a hung jury and a mistrial was declared. Can you tell me, if you know, what's next for both cases now?
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
You have sat with this tragedy for so many years now. You, I feel like, have come to truly learn who Christy and Hilda were, their friends, their families.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
So well said, Michelle. And I can't thank you enough for taking the time today to chat with us. Really, thank you for joining us.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
Same here. If you like this series, Postmortem, please rate and review 48 Hours on Apple Podcasts and follow 48 Hours wherever you get your podcasts. You can also listen ad-free with a 48 Hours Plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. Thanks again for listening.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
uh your heart breaks so much especially when you spend so much time with these families you know i i know michelle you and i have talked about this and i've been reflecting on the ripple effect a tragedy like this can have with friends family and an entire community and to that point i have a connection to this case in a very loose way my husband briefly met hilda at an event through mutual friends
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
In the neighborhood I live in, two neighbors that I could see outside my front door both knew these women. One was close friends with Jan Sillier, and through that friendship knew Christy. The other neighbor used to live in Monterrey, Mexico, and dated Hilda for several years. They broke up there. They both moved separately at different times to LA and reconnected as friends.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
And I first learned about this case In 2021, Thanksgiving, I had that neighbor over for Thanksgiving. He came here, distraught at times, couldn't even get words out, and told me about what happened, how just the day before Hilda was taken off of life support.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
I asked if they were comfortable with me bringing this story to 48 Hours, not so that I could report it, but just so that the story could get out there. And Judy Tigard, the executive producer, the amazing executive producer of 48 Hours,
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
let me know it was already on their radar and i can't tell you the relief that it brought to the family members of hilda and christie knowing that there was this media attention being focused on trying to figure out what went wrong and and to that point christian hilda they clearly had a lot of friends and family who didn't just care about them but really advocated for them and
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
I've been thinking about Jan Sillier and the incredible detective work that he did. Were you impressed? Were you surprised by Jan's determination to find Christy?
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
Pierce and his roommate, Brant Osborne, took the women to two separate hospitals the following evening. Both women had elevated levels of fentanyl in their systems, and tragically, they both ultimately died of drug overdoses. Both Pierce and Osborne denied involvement in their deaths.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
When Jan was trying to get in touch with Christy, he was out of town. He couldn't get any responses. He wasn't getting responses through text. So he went and checked the location on his cell phone and saw that Christy was at an unfamiliar address. And this was very early in the morning. And of course we learned that address was later the apartment of David Pierce.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
That location for Christy then changed hours later. to an emergency room. So Jan delivered all of that information to investigators. I was speaking with Detective Jonathan Vander Lee, who told me without that information, connecting the dots would have been so much harder, could have taken days, if not longer, to pinpoint what exactly had happened.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
In the hour we talk about how police learn that while Chrissy and Hilda were in the apartment, Pierce's downstairs neighbor heard someone moaning in pain on and off for six hours. Now, neither Pierce Osborne nor their friend Michael Ansbach, who was also in the apartment at the time, called for help. Ansbach, we need to point out, he was charged.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
Those charges were eventually dropped due to insufficient evidence. That downstairs neighbor, though, also didn't call for help, which initially I had the question, why? But during our reporting, we found out that there was more to this story. Can you explain?
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
David Pierce was maintaining very early on and really throughout that he was just trying to help Christie and Hilda. But I think about those six hours, and I know it's so difficult to think about where you had, and I think we later learned it was believed to be Hilda that was moaning in pain for so long. Those aren't the actions of someone that's trying to help them.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
There's another layer to this, because we weren't able to get to all of this in the show, but the men first attempted to drop Christie off. Remember, Christie was the first person that was taken to a hospital. They went to one that was closest to their home, to Cedars, which is about an eight-minute drive. They went to the back entrance of the hospital.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
They were told that they needed to go to the front entrance, but David Pierce, according to Osborne's testimony, Didn't want to do that. So instead, they drove to a completely different hospital, Southern California Hospital, 20 minutes south of their home. Does that sound like the behavior of people that are trying to provide swift help?
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
At trial, Pierce was also charged with rape for seven Jane Does, and they testified about Pierce's pattern of violent sexual assault. Michelle, thank you for joining us.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
I want to shift gears and dig into really the main update in this hour, which is the trial. Detectives told me, and we always knew this, that it would be a tough case to prosecute because there was evidence that Chris Ann Hilda voluntarily took recreational drugs that night. And ultimately, that's why the DA asked other women to come forward to share their experiences with Pierce.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
Michelle, you attended the trial. You heard several of those Jane Does testify. What was that like for you?
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
Before we get started, a reminder, if you haven't listened to the 48 Hours episode yet, you can find the full audio just below this episode in your podcast feed. So go take a listen, then come back here for our conversation. Michelle, you have been covering this case from the very beginning. Our first 48 Hours episode, I believe, aired nearly two years ago.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
They really created an MO, a way of consistent behavior, this pattern that ultimately led to the deaths of Christiane Hilda.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
I have kind of a two-part question for you because we spoke with Jackie to the jury. She was known as Jane Doe number two. She was brave enough to share her story with us as well. But our interview with her was postponed a few times because there was still that fear. You were in communication with Jackie during this process. What was that fear?
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
Welcome back to Postmortem. I'm CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti filling in today for Anne-Marie Greene. And joining me is 48 Hours producer Michelle Fanucci to discuss our latest report on the murders of Christy Giles and Hilda Cabrales, two friends who went home with David Pierce after a night out in Los Angeles in 2021.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
I think about the power dynamic. His apartment, David Pierce's apartment, was the place where he was in power. But then during the trial, that power shifts. You have the Jane Does, people like Jackie Jane Doe, number two, now in power. And what struck me was the image that emerged of David Pierce, at least him now after being in jail for several months or years, and how much he changed.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
Very much not the... producer he pretended to be, this younger looking guy with his dark hair. What we saw was a man with gray hair wearing glasses who looked at times defeated.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
Yeah, I could understand. And so different than what the prosecutor pointed out in his photos, that quote unquote Zoolander face, that duck face that he put on in his photos.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
This was before Pierce and Osborne's trial. And I wonder, and I imagine a lot of listeners and viewers want to know the same, what has it, from your perspective, been like to watch this case develop over the years?
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
Welcome back. So, Michelle, another key moment at trial was when Pierce took the stand himself. And now this was against the advice of his defense attorney. I'm wondering what insight you had into that decision and also for you what it was like to see him testify, to see him take the stand.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
So he was trying to control it. He wanted to come out with his own monologue to set everything up.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
Yeah, this grand image in his head of what transpired.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
Yeah. This didn't make it into the show, but it was something that when I heard, I struggled to understand initially. Because Detective Jonathan Vander Lee told me that before the arrest, as they were still trying to get enough evidence to bring Pierce in... He was already taking steps. It appeared to flee. He was talking to women in Ukraine on dating apps.
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
At trial, the prosecution was able to show some pretty damning Google searches. Michelle, can you take me through this?
48 Hours
Post Mortem | "Dead Girls Don’t Talk"
Okay, let me stop you there. Everything else you have described up until that point describes a man looking to flee and still with a one-track mind. He is wanted in connection with the murders of two women and alleged sexual assault, and he is looking for sex in another country and ways of fleeing and outwitting authority.
48 Hours
"Dead Girls Don't Talk"
Powerful opening statements in the Hollywood overdose murder trial. David Pierce and Brandt Osborn on trial for the deaths of two women, model Christy Giles and her architect friend Hilda Cabrales.
48 Hours
Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
So you open the door, and what is it that you see on the other side?
48 Hours
Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
Tell me about this journal and her words that lived on.
48 Hours
Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
This is in clear violation of the restraining order. What did the police do?
48 Hours
Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
You're reaching out to police. They're not doing anything. Are you running out of hope here?
48 Hours
Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
So in so many words, he says, I shot Angela. It was an accident. Essentially, yes.
48 Hours
Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
And you believe from that point forward, he's inside the kennel?
48 Hours
Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
You filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Bellevue and three officers.
48 Hours
Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
To prove this case, you must prove that the police officers' failure to enforce the protection order was intentional and reckless. How can you do that?
48 Hours
Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
Had that arrest warrant been executed, would Angela be here today?
48 Hours
Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
When you listen to this 911 call, how do you process what you were hearing?
48 Hours
Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
You have Chris Pritchard, a person of interest, nowhere to be found.
48 Hours
Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
Some of the first video that places him on this property comes from this home over here? That's correct.
48 Hours
Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
At any point, do you clearly see Chris on any of the surveillance cameras? Yes, we believe we see him leaving.
48 Hours
Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
I know this is going to be difficult for you. Take me back to October 8th. When did you realize something wasn't right?
48 Hours
Could Angela Prichard Have Been Saved?
No. The no-contact order now exists, protecting your sister. But a few weeks later, it's lifted.