Ashton Kutcher to testify in murder trial of serial killer

Kutcher is due in court to testify in the trial of alleged serial killer Michael Gargiulo, accused of stabbing to death three women, including 22-year-old Ashley Ellerin.

The aspiring model and part-time stripper was preparing for a date with Kutcher when she was murdered in 2001, reported Los Angeles Times.

The 32-year-old actor has rarely spoken about the violent death but his testimony to police reveals shocking details of what he saw on the night of the murder.

Gargiulo was arrested in 2008 after DNA evidence was recovered from the Santa Monica apartment of Michelle Murphy, who survived an alleged knife attack in April of that year.
Police say the evidence also links Gargiulo to the fatal stabbing of a Monterey Park woman in 2005 and the 1993 killing of high schooler Tricia Pacaccio in Chicago.

On February 21, 2001, Kutcher had visited Ellerin's Hollywood bungalow and found that the lights were on in her apartment and her car was parked outside.

After knocking on the door and calling out to her with no answer, Kutcher said he looked through a window into the apartment and saw what he thought was red wine pooled on the floor.

Unbeknown to Kutcher at the time, Ellerin had been stabbed 35 times and was lying dead just beyond his view from the window. The red wine he had seen pooled on the floor was her blood.

Kutcher's testimony next year will be crucial for prosecutors to prove the time of death and strengthen their case.

The court case will undoubtedly bring back some unpleasant memories for Kutcher, who went on to marry actress Demi Moore in 2005.