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

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

. 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 is currently incarcerated in

San Quentin State Prison San Quentin State Prison (SQ) is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in Marin County. Opened in July 1852, San Quentin is the ...

Crimes

Gargiulo is a native of the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

suburb of

Glenview, Illinois Glenview is an incorporated village located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, approximately 15 miles northwest of the Chicago Loop. Per the 2020 census, the population was 48,705. The current Village President is Michael Jenny. Geography ...

, where he may have 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.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 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, entrepreneur, and former model. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a People's Choice Award, and nominations for two Young Artist Awards, a S ...

. On December 1, 2005, Gargiulo stabbed 32-year-old Maria Bruno, his neighbor, to death at her home in

El Monte, California } El Monte (Spanish for "The Mountain") 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 ...

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

TruTv TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows. The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that focu ...

. 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: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

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 The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) is a law enforcement agency of the city of Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's Sou ...

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. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...

''. 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 a ...

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 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.

Crimes

Arrest and prosecution

See also

References

Further reading