Michael Gargiulo smiles as his attorney presents closing arguments in the trial of People vs. Michael Gargiulo Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019, in Los Angeles. Closing arguments continued Wednesday in the trial of the air conditioning repairman charged with killing two Southern California women and attempting to kill a third. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, Pool)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A jury has received the case of a man charged with fatally stabbing two women in their Southern California homes and attempting to kill a third.
Jurors were given the case of 43-year-old Michael Gargiulo on Thursday and are scheduled to begin deliberating Monday.
Earlier Thursday in the prosecution’s rebuttal to the defense’s closing arguments, Deputy District Attorney Daniel Akemon said Gargiulo had “the mind of a serial killer” as he reviewed the evidence of attacks he said were chillingly similar.
Akemon dismissed a defense argument that another man had killed 22-year-old Ashley Ellerin in 2001 out of jealousy when he learned she was about to go on a date with actor Ashton Kutcher, who testified during the trial.
Akemon said the defense’s alternate suspect had been thoroughly investigated and cleared.
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