Ashton Kutcher’s murdered girlfriend worked as a stripper and sex worker before her death, RadarOnline.com can exclusively report. The That 70s Show hunk was due to take Ashley Ellerin on a date the night she was savagely murdered and even showed up at her house – although he left after she didn’t answer the door. He is now expected to take the stand as a witness in the trial of the man charged with her murder. Article continues below advertisement Ashton had met Ashley on the Hollywood party scene. She had been enrolled as a fashion student but confided to childhood friend Carolyn Murnick she was also secretly earning money at a strip club, working bachelor parties, pole dancing and, according to Carolyn “occasionally there were arrangements that happened in hotels, too.” According to a police report written after her 2001 death Ashley “used drugs recreationally.” She confided in Carolyn about “actors, crystal meth, the lease to her car being paid off by some guy in his fifties and how much she charged for an hour.” Carolyn added, in a book she wrote about her friend, how she casually “talked of martinis and pills and being on top during sex” and described how she would find ways to get through her paid encounters quickly. The murder suspect, Michael Gargiulo, is currently on trial – and also stands accused of butchering two other women and attempting to kill a third in Los Angeles between 2001 and 2008. Prosecutors have described Gargiulo — who moved into an apartment near Ashley’s and became fixated on her — as a “serial psychosexual thrill killer.” Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Gargiulo has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. After the trial, he will be extradited to Illinois, where he faces another count of murder.<doc-sep>Before Ashton Kutcher was ever with Mila Kunis or Demi Moore the actor was dating 22-year-old model Ashley Ellerin. On February 21, 2001 Ashley attempted to make a date with Ashton but he declined. Later in the evening, however, Ashley asked Ashton to hang out again where he finally decided to meet her at night, Uproxx reports. As the story goes, Ashton drove to Ashley's apartment at 10:45 PM and when he arrived her car was in her driveway and her lights were on. When he knocked on her door and she didn't answer, he suspected she was mad at him for not wanting to hang out earlier in the day. When Ashton looked through the window, he saw what he thought was spilled wine, but only until later did he realize it was blood. C Flanigan/FilmMagic/Getty Ashley had been stabbed almost 47 times when she was getting ready to meet Ashton and it was her roommate who found her body. The case went unsolved for years until detectives linked her murder to other victims and came to find that the suspect was Michael Gargiulo, the so-called “Hollywood Ripper.” The publication now reports that Ashton may testify as he's a “crucial witness” to the crime. The trial began just yesterday and is expected to go on for several months.<doc-sep>The Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — An air conditioning repairman charged with murdering a Chicago-area teenager and two California women, one the ex-girlfriend of actor Ashton Kutcher, would "watch, shadow, stalk and hunt down" his victims before fatally stabbing them for sexual pleasure, a Los Angeles prosecutor said during opening statements Thursday. Michael Gargiulo's trial began with a prosecutor outlining the California murders for jurors, calling the defendant "the boy next door killer" and his crimes "the methodical and systematic slaughter of women." "What you will hear is that Michael Gargiulo for almost 15 years was watching, always watching," prosecutor Daniel Akemon said. "And his hobby was plotting the perfect opportunity to attack women with a knife in and around their homes." Gargiulo, 43, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and an attempted-murder charge stemming from attacks in the Los Angeles area between 2001 and 2008, including the death of Kutcher's former girlfriend, 22-year-old Ashley Ellerin. Gargiulo was arrested in 2008 after DNA evidence linked him to one of the killings and a non-fatal attack. He was separately charged with killing an 18-year-old Glenview, Illinois, woman whose father found her fatally stabbed on their family's doorstep, house key still in hand. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Gargiulo's attorney, Daniel Nardoni, reminded jurors during his opening statement that his client is presumed innocent and said other men had better access or motive in the killings. He also pointed out that no murder weapon has been found and no DNA evidence connected Gargiulo to the killing of Ellerin. Gargiulo's trial is expected to take six months. Kutcher, who is married to Mila Kunis, is among the witnesses expected to take the stand. Kutcher's ex-girlfriend was found dead in 2001 in her Hollywood Hills home. Kutcher told police he went to pick up the fashion student-model for a post-Grammy Awards party, but she did not answer the door. He checked a back window and spotted what he thought were red wine stains on the carpet and then left. Her body was discovered the next day by a friend. Another victim in the case, 32-year-old Maria Bruno, was found stabbed to death in her apartment in suburban El Monte in 2005. Her breasts had been cut off. One victim survived a stabbing attack in her Santa Monica apartment in 2008. Gargiulo was a neighbor of each victim at the time of the attacks. The teenager killed in Illinois, Tricia Pacaccio, lived just down the street from Gargiulo in suburban Glenview. Gargiulo was a friend of her brother's and 17 at the time Pacaccio was stabbed to death on her front porch. Later police said DNA collected from Pacaccio's fingernails matched Gargiulo. Demi Moore turns her life 'Inside Out': 'Deeply candid' memoir due Sept. 24 Ashton Kutcher tweets his phone number, tells fans: 'You can just text me'<doc-sep>
Ashton Kutcher 'expected to testify' at trial of man accused of killing his ex Article content Ashton Kutcher is “expected to testify” in the trial against alleged serial killer Michael Gargiulo, who is accused of murdering a woman the actor was dating. The murder trial against Gargiulo, who has been dubbed the Hollywood Ripper, opened on Thursday at Los Angeles County Superior Court, where he stands accused of murdering two women, Ashley Ellerin and Maria Bruno, and the attempted murder of Michelle Murphy in the Los Angeles area between 2001 and 2008. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Ashton Kutcher 'expected to testify' at trial of man accused of killing his ex Back to video Kutcher, who dated Ellerin, is “expected to testify” at the trial, a spokesperson for the court told E! News. His testimony could help establish the timeline of events that unfolded on the night of 21 February 2001, when 22-year-old fashion student Ellerin was brutally stabbed to death. The actor, who was 23 at the time, had been planning to take Ellerin as his date to a post-Grammy Awards party that night. In a police statement, he said he called her more than 20 times but she never picked up, so he decided to head to her Hollywood apartment. He arrived at her home around 10:45 p.m. and when she didn’t answer the door, he peered inside the window and saw what he thought was a puddle of spilled red wine, which later turned out to be her blood. Despite the fact her car was in the driveway, Kutcher left because he believed she was mad at him for being late. Her body was discovered the following day by her roommate. Ellerin’s murder went unsolved until detectives connected her death to that of 32-year-old Bruno in 2005 and the attempted murder of Murphy in 2008. Kutcher, now 41, is married to actress Mila Kunis and they have two children. Gargiulo has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Once the Los Angeles trial concludes, Gargiulo will be sent back to Illinois to face murder charges for his alleged first victim, Tricia Pacaccio.