Nearly a decade after controversial reality show Gigolos went off the air, a new docuseries is set to cover the violent death of a woman at the hands of one of the show’s former stars.
Gigolos aired on Showtime from 2011 to 2016 and chronicled the activities of five gigolos in Las Vegas. But four years after the show’s run concluded, one of the stars’ lives took a violent turn.
Akshaya Kubiak, who went by the name Ash Armand on the show, is currently serving an 8-to-20-year prison sentence in Nevada after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and mayhem, state prison records show.
The three-part docuseries, Sin City Gigolos: A Murder in Las Vegas, premiering March 4 on Paramount+, is tasked with “documenting a vicious death while weaving together revealing scenes and footage from the Gigolos reality series, offering a unique perspective on Las Vegas, sex work, reality tv, stardom, and a murder investigation,” according to a press release from the streaming service.
Kubiak was arrested in July 2020 after a client, Herleen Dulai, 29, was beaten to death, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Citing Kubiak’s testimony at his 2021 sentencing hearing, the paper reports that he claimed that he and Dulai had taken psychedelic mushrooms together and that he “blacked out” and had no memory of attacking her.
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The paper reported, citing the coroner, that Dulai died of blunt force trauma and strangulation. Prosecutors said in court, according to the paper, that she suffered face, eye, shoulder and forearm injuries and that a piece of her chipped tooth was found in her stomach.
The docuseries will explore questions surrounding the case, including what role the reality show might have played.
“As the gruesome details emerge, questions quickly arise about the identity of the victim, the Las Vegas Police Department’s handling of the investigation, and how the sequence of events surrounding the death unfolded,” the press release says.
“What possessed a former reality TV star, who preached a mantra of love and light, to carry out such a brutal crime,” the release continues. “Former Gigolos cast members, friends, family, and law enforcement weigh in on this tragic case. Was the price of fame just too much to deal with?”
Sin City Gigolos: A Murder in Las Vegas premieres March 4 on Paramount+.
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