Name Michael Gargiulo Spouse Ana Luz Gonzalez | ||
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Full Name Michael Thomas Gargiulo Born February 15, 1976 ( Age 43 ) ( 1976-02-15 ) Other names Hollywood Ripper Chiller Killer Similar People Ashton Kutcher, Darren Mack, Pawel Tuchlin | ||
`Hollywood Ripper` Michael Gargiulo Trial Begins
Michael Thomas Gargiulo (born February 15, 1976) is an American alleged serial killer who may have killed as many as ten women.
Contents
- Hollywood Ripper Michael Gargiulo Trial Begins
- Ashton Kutcher Takes Witness Stand in Murder Trial
- Facts
- Description of alleged crimes
- Arrest and prosecution
- References
Ashton Kutcher Takes Witness Stand in Murder Trial
Facts
Description of alleged crimes
Gargiulo is accused of stabbing three women to death and attempting to murder a fourth.
He is a native of Glenview, Illinois,, where he allegedly stabbed his neighbor, 18-year-old Tricia Pacaccio, to death at her home on August 14, 1993. She was stabbed 12 times. Gargiulo moved to Los Angeles in 1998, allegedly to escape scrutiny from police in Illinois.
Gargiulo is accused of three stabbings in Southern California between 2001 and 2008. On February 21, 2001, he allegedly stabbed Ashley Ellerin to death in her home in Hollywood. She was stabbed 47 times. Ellerin was dating Ashton Kutcher at the time and they had planned to go to a post-Grammy Award party the night she was killed. He allegedly stabbed his neighbor, Maria Bruno, to death at her home in El Monte, California, on December 1, 2005. She was stabbed 17 times. He is charged with the attempted murder of his neighbor, Michelle Murphy, in her home in Santa Monica on April 28, 2008. She fought off the attack, and blood matching Gargiulo's DNA was found at the scene.
Arrest and prosecution
Gargiulo was arrested by the Santa Monica Police Department on June 6, 2008. Although Gargiulo is charged in the two California murders as well as the Pacaccio murder in Chicago, police have not linked him to any other murders. Gargiulo allegedly told authorities in the Los Angeles County Jail that just because 10 women were killed — and his DNA was present — doesn’t mean he murdered anyone, leading investigators to believe that there are more victims.
Media in Los Angeles dubbed Gargiulo the "Hollywood Ripper" as well as the "Chiller Killer."
Gargiulo is being held at Los Angeles County Jail awaiting a capital murder trial. A pre-trial hearing was held June 9, 2017 in Los Angeles Superior Court with his trial scheduled to begin in October 2017.
