'Hollywood Ripper' Michael Thomas Garguilo has been sentenced to death for the murder of two women and the attempted murder of a third.
Everywhere Gargiulo goes 'death and destruction follow,' a judge told a Los Angeles criminal court today as he handed down the sentence of the man convicted of butchering TV star Ashton Kutcher's girlfriend to death, viciously murdering another young woman and attempting to kill a third.
'Every time he's in the neighborhood, somebody dies. Everywhere he goes, mayhem and terror follow,' Judge Larry Fidler told the hearing at LA Superior court where he decided whether Gargiulo should received the death penalty or be sent to jail for life without possibility of parole.
The judge was responding to arguments from Gargiulo's defense lawyers that the prosecution had presented 'insufficient evidence' to convict the one-time heating and air-conditioning repairman of the bloody killings of Kutcher's then girlfriend Ashley Ellerin and young mother Maria Bruno.
In both cases, said his lawyer Daniel Nardoni, there was no DNA evidence connecting Gargiulo to the murders. And in both cases, Nardoni added, 'evidence pointed to a third person' responsible for each killing, leading to 'reasonable doubt'.
Michael Thomas Gargiulo, also known as 'The Hollywood Ripper', was sentenced to death Friday, nearly two years after he was found guilty of murder of two women and attempted murder of a third
The sentencing comes almost two years after Garguilo, 44 (pictured in court on Friday) was found guilty of the murder of two women and the attempted murder of a third
Garguilo was seen wearing two large rings on his wedding finger on Friday. When asked if Gargiulo may have had a jailhouse marriage, his lawyer Dan Nardoni laughed and said, 'Not that I know of'
He was found guilty of murdering 22-year-old Ashley Ellerin (left) in her Hollywood home as she prepared for a date with Ashton Kutcher in 2001. He was also convicted of killing 32-year-old Maria Bruno (right) a mother of three who was found dead in her apartment complex in El Monte in 2005
Prosecutor Dan Akemon countered, telling the court that there was 'a mountain of compelling evidence' against Gargiulo in both murders.
Judge Fidler, agreed, telling the court there was 'plenty of evidence' to convict Gargiulo, also dubbed the 'Boy Next Door Killer' because he lived close to all his victims.
And the judge denied the defense's motion for a new trial, noting that the jury had rejected Gargiulo's insanity plea and his attorneys' claims that somebody else killed the two you women.
Gargiulo, 45 - head shaven and dressed in orange LA County Jail overalls with a blue mask - showed no emotion as the judge dismissed his defense's pleas that he deserves another trial.
He was seen wearing two large rings on his wedding finger on Friday. When asked if Gargiulo may have had a jailhouse marriage, his lawyer Dan Nardoni laughed and said, 'Not that I know of'.
Arguing against the death penalty, Nardoni told Judge Fidler, 'Mankind should treat each other with mercy - that's what I'm asking.'
He also pointed out that LA District Attorney George Gascon opposes the death penalty and California Governor Gavin Newsom has a moratorium on executions.
And despite the jury's rejection of Gargiulo's insanity defense, Nardoni maintained that expert witnesses had concluded he is mentally ill.
'It's not right to execute a mentally ill person,' he added Judge Fidler will pronounce sentence this afternoon after hearing testimony from relatives of Gargiulo's victims.
Akemon told the court that after Gargiulo is sentenced in LA, he will be extradited to Illinois where he has been indicted and faces trial for the 1993 murder of 18 year-old Tricia Pacaccio
The sentencing comes almost two years after Garguilo, 44, was found guilty of murdering 22-year-old Ashley Ellerin in 2001, and 32-year-old Maria Bruno in 2005.
He was also found guilty of the 2008 attempted murder of Michelle Murphy.
His case received added attention because one of his victims was about to go on a date with actor Ashton Kutcher, who testified at the trial.
At the time, the jury recommended the death penalty and for his execution to be carried out in October 2019, but the pandemic and procedural issues forced several delays in his sentencing.
Gargiulo appeared in LA Superior Court in February in a last ditch attempt to plead with a judge to spare his life.
His attorney argued that the new LA County District Attorney, George Gascon, is opposed to the death penalty and that the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has placed a moratorium on executions.
Even if he is given a death sentence, Gargiulo is unlikely to be put to death anytime soon.
California has not executed anyone since 2006 and Newsom has halted executions for as long as he is in office. But courts have been proceeding on
