Ashton Kutcher appears for trial of alleged serial killer that murdered his date Ashley Ellerin 18 years ago

Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher testified on Wednesday at the trial of what a man charged with the murder of the young woman and two others. 

The man named Michael Gargiulo dubbed as the Hollywood Ripper, allegedly killed a fashion design student Ashley Ellerin on the night of 22 February 2001. Ashton happened to have become an eyewitness in Ashley’s murder as he was to pick her up for a date night. 

Ashton arrived at the Hollywood bungalow of Ashley after speaking to her by phone earlier that evening to arrange a date, the Los Angeles City News Service reported. When he got there two hours after speaking to her on the phone, he said that he found the lights on but door locked. He rang the doorbell and no one came. He then peered through the front window and saw “what I thought was a red wine spilled on the carpet”.

“I didn’t really think anything of it,” Kutcher said, adding that he “figured I screwed up” by showing up late, and he assumed Ellerin had gone out with a friend.

Ashley who was 22 at the time was found dead at her home the next morning by a roommate. She had been stabbed 47 times, according to the prosecutors. 

Michael Gargiulo is on trial at Los Angeles superior court for the murder of Ashley and two other women and the attempted murder of another.

The man,  43-years-old was arrested in 2008. He has pleaded not guilty.