Stabbing suspect was questioned in 1993 murder case
A Santa Monica man who stands accused of stabbing a neighbor in April could be hit with murder charges next week for the 2001 death of a Los Angeles fashion student who briefly dated actor Ashton Kutcher.
The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office is expected to file murder charges against 32-year-old Michael Thomas Gargiulo, according to Officer Ana Aguirre of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Gargiulo was arrested in June for an unrelated attempted murder and burglary case involving a Santa Monica woman who lived just a block away from him, and has been in custody ever since.
While the LAPD would not release the name of the victim in the Hollywood case, citing that it’s an open investigation, several Chicago-area newspapers this week identified her as 22-year-old Ashley Ellerin who was found stabbed to death in her home in February 2001, just one day after Kutcher, the former “That 70’s Show” star, stopped by her house to take her to a post-Grammy party.
When nobody answered the door, Kutcher reportedly peeked through a back window and saw what he thought were red wine stains on the carpet. Those stains were reportedly drops of blood.
Gargiulo, who worked in plumbing and heating installation, was also investigated in the 1993 unsolved murder of a former classmate in a Chicago suburb, according to Chicago-area newspapers.
Authorities questioned Gargiulo after the death of 18-year-old Tricia Pacaccio, who was killed outside of her family’s home in Glenview, an unincorporated section of Cook County, Chicago.
The Chicago Tribune reported on Thursday that Pacaccio was stabbed in the chest as she was about to unlock the front door of her home in the early morning hours of Aug. 14, 1993. Gargiulo, who was a classmate at Glenbrook South High School, lived just one street away. The newspaper stated that detectives believed the victim knew her attacker.
She was set to begin at Purdue University the week after her murder, according to the newspaper.
Reports indicated that Gargiulo was never charged because there wasn’t enough evidence linking him to the crime. Cook County officials declined to comment on Pacaccio’s case since it is an open investigation.
Diane Pacaccio, the victim’s mother, told the Chicago Sun-Times on Thursday that, “If I ever, to this day, have one reason given to me — I don’t care what reason they give — just give me a reason. Don’t just say they couldn’t convict him.”
It was through his possible involvement with the Pacaccio case that first set the Santa Monica Police Department on the path toward the Santa Monica resident. Investigators collected DNA at the crime scene in the 1200 block of 12th Street and processed it through the CODIS (Combined DNA Index System). The national database revealed a matching profile of the suspect that was previously inputted by Cook County officials, according to Lt. Darrell Lowe of the SMPD.
“We spoke with investigators about their particular case and obviously they provided us with the name and identity of the potential suspect and our investigation continued from there,” Lowe said. “All the Chicago link did for us is provide us with a name.”
Gargiulo was arrested at the Rite Aid on Wilshire Boulevard. Investigators believe Gargiulo broke into the victim’s apartment, awakening her and stabbing her several times during a struggle, the suspect later fleeing on foot. The victim was transported to a local hospital where she was treated for her injuries. Police at the time of the arrest said they weren’t sure whether the break-in was premeditated or a random act, but noted that she was home alone at the time.
Lowe said that the Pacaccio case could have some influence on the Santa Monica case, though it wouldn’t have an impact unless it went to sentencing.
Gargiulo is being held on 1.1 million bail and is due to appear in court on Sept. 4 for a pre-trial hearing.
Jump hedline: Stabbing suspect questioned in 1993 murder case in Illinois
Suggested pullquote: “We spoke with investigators about their particular case and obviously they provided us with the name and identity of the potential suspect and our investigation continued from there.”
Lt. Darrell Lowe
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 30, 2008. Read the original PDF.