Michael Thomas Gargiulo is a convicted American serial killer. He moved to Southern California in the 1990s and has been nicknamed the "Hollywood Ripper."
Description of crimes
Gargiulo is a native of Glenview, Illinois, where he may have stabbed his neighbor, 18-year-old Tricia Pacaccio, to death on her backdoor step. Her body was found by her father the morning after on August 14, 1993. Gargiulo moved to Los Angeles in 1998, allegedly to escape the scrutiny of police in Illinois, and committed two murders and an attempted murder in Southern California between 2001 and 2008. On February 21, 2001, he stabbed Ashley Ellerin 47 times to death in her home in Hollywood. Ellerin's injuries included a neck wound that nearly severed her head, and deep punctures to the chest, stomach, and back that in some cases were up to six inches deep. According to detective Tom Small, one stab wound "actually penetrated the skull and took out a chunk of skull like a puzzle piece." On the night she was killed, Ellerin had planned dinner, then drinks with her then boyfriend, actor Ashton Kutcher. On December 1, 2005, Gargiulo stabbed his neighbor to death at her home in El Monte, California. She was stabbed 17 times. Gargiulo attempted to murder his neighbor 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. On July 7, 2011, the Cook County State's Attorney charged Gargiulo with the first-degree murder of Tricia Pacaccio. 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 — does not 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 was held at Los Angeles County Jail while 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. After delays, his trial began on May 2, 2019. In May 2019, actor Ashton Kutcher testified about the crimes. On August 15, 2019, Gargiulo was convicted on all counts. The penalty phase of his California trial started on October 7, 2019. He faced either a death sentence or life in prison without the possibility of parole. Once he is sentenced, Gargiulo faces extradition back to Illinois to face the first-degree murder charge relating to Tricia Pacaccio. If convicted in Illinois, he will face a sentence of 25 years to life. On October 18, 2019, a jury recommended the death penalty for Michael Gargiulo after several hours of deliberation. But as of March 2020, sentencing of Gargiulo in California continued to be delayed by defense motions.
