Michael Thomas Gargiulo (born February 15, 1976) is a convicted American

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

. He moved to Southern California in the 1990s and gained the nickname The Hollywood Ripper. He was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death on July 16, 2021. , he was incarcerated in the California Health Care Facility; in September 2024, he was extradited to

Cook County, Illinois Cook County is the List of counties in Illinois, most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the List of the most populous counties in the United States, second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, C ...

, to face trial for a 1993 murder.

Crimes

Gargiulo is a native of the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

suburb of

Glenview, Illinois Glenview is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, approximately northwest of the Chicago Loop. Per the 2020 census, the population was 48,705. The Village of Glenview is governed by New Trier and Northfield townships. According ...

. He is believed to have committed his first murder at the age of 17 on August 13, 1993, when he stabbed his neighbor, 18-year-old Tricia Pacaccio, to death on her back doorstep. Her father found her body the following morning.Staff (July 7, 2011)
"Man Charged with Murder in Cold Case Featured on "48 Hours Mystery"
'' 48 Hours''. Retrieved August 3, 2012. Gargiulo moved to Los Angeles in 1998, allegedly to escape the scrutiny of the police in Illinois, and committed two murders and an attempted murder in Southern California between 2001 and 2008. On February 21, 2001, he murdered 22-year-old fashion student Ashley Ellerin, stabbing her 47 times in her home in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

. Ellerin's injuries included a neck wound that nearly severed her head and deep punctures to the chest, stomach, and back. Some of her wounds 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 murdered, Ellerin had planned a date including dinner and drinks with actor

Ashton Kutcher Christopher Ashton Kutcher (; born February 7, 1978) is an American actor, producer and entrepreneur. His accolades include a People's Choice Award and fifteen Teen Choice Awards, in addition to a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. K ...

, whom she had met at a party a week earlier. When she did not answer the door, Kutcher, who had arrived late, looked through the window, saw what he thought was spilled wine on the floor, and returned home, feeling dejected. On December 1, 2005, Gargiulo stabbed his neighbor, 32-year-old Maria Bruno, to death at her home in

El Monte, California El Monte is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city lies in the San Gabriel Valley, east of the city of Los Angeles. El Monte's slogan is "Welcome to Friendly El Monte" and is historically known as "The End of the San ...

.Richards, Tori (undated)
"Michael Gargiulo: Alleged Hollywood Ripper El Monte" archive

TruTv TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable Television channel, channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts reruns of Television comedy, comedy, Reality television, docusoaps and reality shows, with a rec ...

. Original retrieved August 3, 2012. Archive retrieved March 6, 2021. She was stabbed 17 times. Gargiulo attempted to murder another neighbor, 26-year-old Michelle Murphy, in her home in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

on April 28, 2008. She fought off the attack. 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.Pelisek, Christine (November 25, 2010)
"The Chiller Killer Michael Gargiulo, Accused of Killing Ashton Kutcher's Girlfriend and Other L.A. Beauties, Got Close as the Helpful Air-Conditioning Repairman"
''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...

''. Retrieved August 3, 2012. Although Gargiulo was charged in the two California murders as well as the Pacaccio murder in Illinois, police did not link him to any other murders. Gargiulo allegedly told authorities in the

Los Angeles County Jail The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), officially the County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, is a law enforcement agency serving Los Angeles County, California. LASD is the largest sheriff's department in the United States an ...

that just because ten 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" and the "Chiller Killer." Gargiulo was held at

while awaiting a capital murder trial. A pre-trial hearing was held on 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

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. On October 18, 2019, a jury rendered a verdict of death for Michael Gargiulo after several hours of deliberation, but sentencing for Gargiulo in California continued to be delayed by defense motions. On July 16, 2021, Gargiulo was sentenced to death. Gargiulo was extradited to Illinois on September 6, 2024 to face trial for the 1993 killing of Tricia Pacaccio. If convicted he faces a sentence of life without parole.

Crimes

Arrest and prosecution

See also

References

Further reading