California: Michael Gargiulo, the ‘Hollywood Ripper’ was sentenced to death in California on Saturday, for the home invasion killings of two women, including Ashton Kutcher’s then-girlfriend.
Gargiulo, a former bouncer, airconditioner repairman, and aspiring actor, was found guilty in August 2019 of the murders of Ashley Ellerin, 22, and Maria Bruno, 32, in 2001 and 2005, respectively. He was also convicted guilty of attempted murder in a 2008 attack on a lady in Santa Monica.
Ellerin, who was discovered with 47 stab wounds in her Hollywood home, had planned to go on a date with Kutcher, who was then a promising young actor.
At Gargiulo’s murder trial, Kutcher testified that he was running late to pick Ellerin up and had called her many times to let her know, calls which went unanswered. Also, when she didn’t answer the door, Kutcher thought he had been duped whereas she had already been murder by Gargiulo.
Before leaving her house at Hollywood Hills, Ashton claimed he peered through a window and saw what he believed was red wine poured on the floor, believing she had already left.
Gargiulo was called ‘The Boy Next Door Killer’ by prosecutors because he targeted young, attractive women who lived near him. However, media outlets dubbed him ‘The Chiller Killer’ and ‘The Hollywood Ripper.’
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As he handed down the sentence, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry P. Fidler described Gargiulo’s acts as ‘vicious and frightening.’ ‘Everywhere that Mr. Gargiulo went, death and destruction followed him,’ Fidler added.
Gargiulo is anticipated to be extradited to Illinois to face charges in the 1993 murder of Tricia Pacaccio, who was 18 at the time.
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