Michael Gargiulo | |
---|---|
Born | Michael Thomas Gargiulo February 15, 1976 [1] Glenview, Illinois, U.S. |
Other names | Hollywood Ripper Chiller Killer The Boy Next Door Killer |
Conviction(s) | First degree murder with special circumstances (2 counts), attempted murder |
Criminal charge | Felony murder |
Penalty | Death [2] |
Details | |
Victims | 3–10; 1 survived |
Span of crimes | 1993–2008 |
Country | United States |
State(s) | Illinois, California |
Date apprehended | June 6, 2008 |
Michael Thomas Gargiulo (born February 15, 1976) [1] is a convicted American serial killer. [3] 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. [4] He is currently incarcerated in San Quentin State Prison. [5]
Gargiulo is a native of the Chicago suburb of Glenview, Illinois, where he stabbed his neighbor, 18-year-old Tricia Pacaccio, to death on her back doorstep. Her father found her body the next morning on August 14, 1993. [6] [7] Gargiulo moved to Los Angeles in 1998, allegedly to escape the scrutiny of the police in Illinois, [8] and committed two murders and an attempted murder in Southern California between 2001 and 2008.
On February 21, 2001, he murdered 22-year-old Ashley Ellerin, stabbing her 47 times 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. Some of her wounds were up to six inches deep. [9] According to detective Tom Small, one stab wound "actually penetrated the skull and took out a chunk of skull like a puzzle piece." [9] On the night she was murdered, Ellerin had planned a date including dinner and drinks with actor Ashton Kutcher. [10]
On December 1, 2005, Gargiulo stabbed 32-year-old Maria Bruno, his neighbor, to death at her home in El Monte, California. [11] She was stabbed 17 times. [9]
Gargiulo attempted to murder another neighbor, 26-year-old Michelle Murphy, in her home in Santa Monica on April 28, 2008. [12] She fought off the attack, and blood matching Gargiulo's DNA was found at the scene. [13]
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. [14] 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. [6] Gargiulo allegedly told authorities in the Los Angeles County Jail 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. [6]
Media in Los Angeles dubbed Gargiulo the "Hollywood Ripper" and the "Chiller Killer." [14] [15] Gargiulo was held at Los Angeles County Jail while awaiting a capital murder trial. [16] A pre-trial hearing was held on June 9, 2017, in Los Angeles Superior Court, with his trial scheduled to begin in October 2017. [17] After delays, his trial began on May 2, 2019. [10] [18] In May 2019, actor Ashton Kutcher testified about the crimes. [18] [19]
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. [20] [21] [22] [23] On October 18, 2019, a jury rendered a verdict of death for Michael Gargiulo after several hours of deliberation, [24] but sentencing for Gargiulo in California continued to be delayed by defense motions. On July 16, 2021, Gargiulo was sentenced to death. [25] [26] [27] Gargiulo is now expected to be extradited to Illinois for the 1993 killing of Tricia Pacaccio in his Illinois hometown. If extradited and convicted in Illinois, he will face a sentence of 25 years to life. [28]
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