The actor testified that he showed up at the Hollywood bungalow of a fashion design student, and left because he thought she had already gone out for the night.
LOS ANGELES – Called to the stand in the trial of an alleged serial murderer, Ashton Kutcher testified Wednesday, May 29, that he showed up in February 2001 at the Hollywood bungalow of a young fashion design student to pick her up for a date, saw what he believed was red wine spilled on the carpet and left because he thought she had already gone out for the night.
The actor — best known for his work on the TV sitcoms “That ’70s Show” and “Two and a Half Men” — said he learned the next day what had happened to Ashley Ellerin, spoke to police and was “freaking out” because he knew his fingerprints would be on the front door of her home.
Kutcher told the Los Angeles Superior Court jury hearing the case against Michael Gargiulo that he had last spoken to Ellerin at 8:24 p.m. on Feb. 22,2001, to let her know that he would be late to pick her up to go out that night. He said he showed up between 10:30 p.m. and 10:45 p.m. after unsuccessfully trying to reach her several times by phone.
He said he thinks he called her four times, but probably only left two messages because he was “trying to take her on a date” and didn’t want to seem too eager.
The 41-year-old actor said he found all of the lights on inside Ellerin’s home, looked through a window and didn’t see anything, tried the front door only to find it locked and peered into another window and “saw what I thought was a red wine spilled on the carpet.”
“I didn’t really think anything of it,” he said, noting that she had recently hosted a party at her home.
Kutcher said that he “figured I screwed up” by showing up to her house too late and assumed that she had gone out with a friend.
