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'Hollywood Ripper' Michael Gargiulo sentenced to death

Gargiulo was convicted of murdering two women, in 2001 and 2005

By Jesse O'Neill New York Post
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"Hollywood Ripper" Michael Gargiulo was sentenced to death Friday for the home-invasion murders of two women, including Ashton Kutcher’s then-gal pal.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry P. Fidler called Gargiulo’s crimes "vicious and frightening" as he handed down the sentence.

"Everywhere that Mr. Gargiulo went, death and destruction followed him," Fidler said.

Gargiulo, 45, a former bouncer, air-conditioner repairman and aspiring actor, was convicted in August 2019 of the 2001 murder of Ashley Ellerin, 22, and the 2005 murder of 32-year-old Maria Bruno.

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He was also found guilty of attempted murder in a 2008 attack on a Santa Monica woman.

Ellerin, who was found in her Hollywood home with 47 stab wounds, had been due to go on a date with Kutcher, then an up-and-coming young actor.

Kutcher testified at Gargiulo’s murder trial that he was late to pick Ellerin up, but had been repeatedly calling her to let her know he was delayed.

When he ultimately arrived at her door in Hollywood Hills, she didn’t answer. Kutcher testified that he figured he’d been stood up.

Kutcher said he looked through a window and saw what he thought was red wine spilled on the floor before leaving, assuming she had already gone out.

Michael Gargiulo, left, and his attorney Daniel Nardoni confer as Gargiulo's guilty verdicts on all counts are read in Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019. A jury found Gargiulo guilty of fatally stabbing two women and attempting to kill a third in their Southern California homes.   Gargiulo, is also awaiting trial for a similar killing in Illinois in 1993.  (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool)

Michael Gargiulo, left, and his attorney Daniel Nardoni confer as Gargiulo's guilty verdicts on all counts are read in Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019. A jury found Gargiulo guilty of fatally stabbing two women and attempting to kill a third in their Southern California homes.   Gargiulo, is also awaiting trial for a similar killing in Illinois in 1993.  (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool) (AP)

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Prosecutors said Gargiulo targeted young, good-looking women who lived near him and dubbed him "The Boy Next Door Killer." He earned the nicknames "The Chiller Killer" and "The Hollywood Ripper" from media outlets.

Gargiulo is expected to be extradited to Illinois to stand trial for the 1993 slaying of 18-year-old Tricia Pacaccio.

Click here to read more of the New York Post.

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