It goes without saying that the sexual assault trial against actor Danny Masterson has concluded with many parties unable to escape the wide-reaching impact of their involvement in the case.
Masterson, who has been found guilty of two rape charges, will serve 30 years in prison before he’s considered for parole. The Church of Scientology has taken another hit to its already shaky reputation as the three sexual assault victims have shared that they had attempted to report Masterson to the police before but were dissuaded by the church.
His former That ‘70s Show co-stars, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, have been battling significant heat from the public and have been under intense social media scrutiny for the letters of support they wrote on Masterson’s behalf. And while their apology for the same has been having the exact opposite effect, Kutcher’s decades-old past has now been added to the discourse as well.
Chrissie Carnell Bixler, wife of The Mars Volta frontman Cedric Bixler-Zavala and one of the sexual assault victims who took a stand against Masterson, has underlined the problematic nature of the letters written by Masterson’s former colleagues, especially the words of support from Kutcher.
But her rightful displeasure with the actor for his letter didn’t end there as she proceeded to hint at a secret about The Butterfly Effect star that would presumably “end” him, before mentioning a rather specific date: Feb. 21, 2001, the day the actor’s girlfriend, Ashley Ellerin, was murdered.
Ashton Kutcher’s girlfriend’s murder case and the Hollywood Ripper
On Feb. 21, 2001, Kutcher became a central figure in the murder of Ashley Ellerin, a 22-year-old student who was stabbed to death in her home in the hours leading up to a planned date with the actor. He reported arriving at Ellerin’s home later than planned and seeing what he assumed were red wine stains on the carpet when he looked in through the window after she failed to answer the door.
As reported by USA Today, the man responsible for Ellerin’s murder was Michael Thomas Gargiulo, a serial killer dubbed “The Boy Next Door Killer” and “The Hollywood Ripper” after reports of his crimes reached the press. Gargiulo was found guilty of two murders and an attempted third after an intended victim, Michelle Murphey, managed to fight him off in 2008. He was sentenced to death in July 2021, in part thanks to Kutcher’s 2019 testimony.
Carnell Bixler’s post has triggered many unsavory speculations. Given the date mentioned in the story, it is being theorized that the former actress is alluding to Ellerin’s murder and saying that Kutcher reached out to Masterson to discuss something in connection to the case. While the meaning behind her post is unclear, it has not stopped many from jumping to conclusions of their own, which have ranged from questioning the authenticity of his testimony to theorizing that Kutcher is Ellerin’s murderer.
At this point, reprimanding and even criticizing Kutcher for trying to back Masterson’s character with his letter to the judge is justified. But turning a tragedy into a topic of gossip and fodder for conspiracy theories is really crossing the line in a frenzied attempt to just somehow penalize someone. It is not okay and it never will be.