A number of high-profile celebrities have found themselves connected to the horrors of serial killers, whether through personal loss, suspicion, or close encounters. These chilling associations reveal how fame can brush up against pure evil.
Ashton Kutcher and the Hollywood Ripper
In 2001, Hollywood star Ashton Kutcher was dating Ashley Ellerin, who was brutally murdered by Michael Gargiulo, a serial killer later known as the "Hollywood Ripper." Kutcher arrived at her bungalow for a planned outing after the Grammy Awards. When she didn't answer the door, he peered through a window and saw what he thought were spilled red wine stains on the floor. He left, unaware that it was her blood. Her roommate discovered her body the next morning; she had been stabbed 47 times. Kutcher later testified during Gargiulo's trial. Gargiulo was convicted in 2019 for the murders of Ellerin and another woman, as well as the attempted murder of a third victim.
Angela Lansbury and Charles Manson
In the late 1960s, Murder, She Wrote star Angela Lansbury realized her children had fallen into the orbit of Charles Manson and were spending time with his followers. Fearing the worst, she and her husband moved the family to Ireland, effectively saving her children from the cult leader's evil influence. Manson gained global notoriety for orchestrating a series of brutal killings, including the Tate-LaBianca murders.
Kelsey Grammer's Sister Murdered
Frasier actor Kelsey Grammer suffered a devastating loss when his 18-year-old sister, Karen, was brutally murdered in 1975. She was abducted by spree and serial killer Freddie Glenn and his accomplices outside a Red Lobster in Colorado Springs, where she worked. They took her to an apartment, raped her, and murdered her. Grammer, then 20, had to identify his sister's body. Glenn was initially sentenced to death, but after the Supreme Court overturned his sentence, it was changed to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Grammer has frequently attended parole hearings to advocate that the killer remains behind bars.
Bruce Jones and the Yorkshire Ripper
In the UK, Bruce Jones, who played Les Battersby on Coronation Street, was treated as a suspect by police after discovering the mutilated body of Peter Sutcliffe's (the Yorkshire Ripper) victim, Jean Jordan, in 1977. Jones recalled the chilling moment in October 1977 when, as a young man, he uncovered the brutally murdered body of Jean Jordan—believed to be Sutcliffe's first victim—on a Manchester allotment where he was working alongside a friend. Her body had lain there for over a week before being discovered. A post-mortem revealed that days after the killing, the murderer had returned to mutilate her body further and drag it to a more open position.
