A man convicted and sentenced to death for killing two women in Southern California was extradited to Illinois to face a judge after he was charged in the 1993 murder of a suburban teen.
Michael Gargiulo, who is now 48, appeared in a Skokie courtroom Friday afternoon, where he was accused of stabbing 18-year-old Tricia Pacaccio to death.
“Michael Gargiulo was a friend and classmate of the victim’s brother,” Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Ethan Holland said. “The defendant’s residence was located one block from the Pacaccio’s.”
According to prosecutors, Pacaccio was stabbed to death as she was heading home from a night out with friends.
Her body was discovered by her father on the steps of their home in unincorporated Glenview the next morning.
“The victim’s car was found parked in the home’s front driveway, her purse and car keys were found at the scene and there was no apparent signs of a robbery attempt,” Holland said.
Several days after the murder, prosecutors said Gargiulo sought help to get rid of his knives.
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“Witness ‘A’ accompanied Gargiulo, and another individual to get rid of knives that Gargiulo possessed. Gargiulo admitted to witness ‘A’ that he was afraid that police were coming after him,” Holland said.
Decades later, forensic evidence linked Gargiulo to the suburban killing, and he was charged with first-degree murder in 2011.
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By that time, Gargiulo was already arrested and facing charges in Los Angeles for the murder of two women and the attempted murder of a third. One of the victims was dating actor Ashton Kutcher in 2001.
Nicknamed 'The Hollywood Ripper,' prosecutors said the victims were all stabbed to death in their homes following a break-in.
Gargiulo was denied pre-trial release and is due to appear in court again on Sept. 20.
