Ashton Kutcher told a court Wednesday how he was supposed to have a date with a woman who was killed by the infamous “Hollywood Ripper” — and that he feared he might end up being blamed for the crime.
The “That ’70s Show” star, 41, recalled how victim Ashley Ellerin, 22, had planned to go with him to a post-Grammy Awards party on Feb. 21, 2001.
But she never made it because she had already been slain at her Hollywood Hills apartment by accused killer Michael Gargiulo.
Prosecutors say the fashion student was stabbed 47 times as she got ready for a night on the town with Kutcher.
The actor — who is now married to fellow “That ‘70s Show” star Mila Kunis — said he immediately went to authorities in a near panic when he learned of Eller’s death.
“I remember the next day after I heard about what happened and I went to the detectives and said, ‘My fingerprints were on the door’ and I was freaking out,” Kutcher said, according to Courthouse News.
Gargiulo wasn’t arrested until 2008, when DNA evidence linked him to one of the murders and a non-fatal Santa Monica stabbing attack.
During his testimony, Kutcher told the court in Los Angeles that he spoke to Ellerin several times that day before he arrived at her home.
When she didn’t answer the door, he peeked through the back window and saw what he thought were red wine stains.
“It was not alarming to me,” Kutcher testified, according to Courthouse News.
The actor said he “figured I screwed up” by being a little late and he just left a message because he didn’t want to come off as too desperate, according to NBC News.
Ellerin’s body was discovered the next day by her roommate in a pool of blood, prosecutors said.
“We believe she had just exited the shower and was getting ready to go out with Mr. Kutcher when she was attacked from behind,” Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Dan Akemon told the court in opening statements.
Prosecutors have referred to Gargiulo as the “boy-next-door killer” and likened his crimes to “the methodical, systematic slaughter of women.” They are seeking the death penalty.
Gargiulo, 43, pleaded not guilty to killing two women who lived near him in the Los Angeles area in 2001 and 2005. He also is accused of attempting to stab to death another female neighbor who escaped a 2008 attack in Santa Monica. He also faces charges in the murder of an 18-year-old Illinois neighbor on her front porch,