The house where Ashley Ellerin was murdered

This is the house where Ashley Ellerin was murdered.

It is located at 1911 Pinehurst Road in Los Angeles, California.

A serial killer named Michael Gargiulo stabbed Ellerin to death at this address on February 21st, 2001.

The case attracted significant media attention, as the fashion student and model was supposed to go on a date with actor Ashton Kutcher on the night of her murder.

Ashton Kutcher

During the fall of 2000, Ellerin moved to Hollywood to attend a private college called the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising.

A mutual friend introduced her to Kutcher in December 2000, and the pair started casually dating in February 2001.

On the night of her murder, Ellerin was supposed to accompany Kutcher to a Grammys after-party.

At 8.24 p.m., Kutcher spoke to her on the phone and told her that he was going to be late. He called her a second time at 10 p.m. However, on that occasion, she failed to answer.

At 10.45 p.m., Kutcher arrived at the house and knocked on the door.

When nobody answered, he paced back and forth on the porch. After waiting for a while, he peered through a window and saw some blood on the carpet near her bedroom. However, at the time, he thought it was just a red wine stain, as Ellerin and her roommate frequently threw house parties.

Believing she was upset with him for being late, he eventually left to attend the after-party.

Discovery

At 9 a.m. the following morning, Ellerin's roommate, Jennifer Disisto, arrived home and found her lying face-up on the landing beside the bedrooms.

She had been stabbed nearly 50 times. A bloody footprint from an Adidas tennis shoe was found in the living room.

When Kutcher learned about the murder the following day, he immediately contacted the police and informed them that he had been at the residence.

Michael Gargiulo

Gargiulo was eventually connected to the crime after he accidentally sliced his wrist during a similar attack in Santa Monica in 2008. The injury left behind traces of his blood, which was subsequently matched against a DNA record in the national CODIS database.

Ellerin's friends and neighbors said that Gargiulo was a heater repairman who inserted himself into the model's life after he helped her change a flat tire.

Over the course of twelve months, he frequently called her and made regular, unannounced visits to her home. He also liked to park his truck on her street.

Despite this behavior, Ellerin did not consider him a threat.

On one occasion, she even invited him to one of her parties. However, he reportedly spent the evening sitting by himself and staring at her.

One neighbor claimed that they saw Gargiulo outside Ellerin's home in the weeks following her murder. At the time, he was allegedly standing motionless and staring at the property.

Trial

Kutcher testified at Gargiulo's murder trial in May 2019. The actor said that he knocked on the door several times before he eventually gave up. At the time, he wasn't sure if she was purposely ignoring him or if she had already left.

In August 2019, Gargiulo was found guilty of Ellerin's murder, the 2005 murder of Maria Bruno, and the 2008 attempted murder of Michelle Murphy.

Two years later, he was sentenced to death.

In September 2024, Gargiulo was extradited to Cook County, Illinois, to face charges for the August 1993 killing of 18-year-old Tricia Pacaccio. He is currently awaiting trial.