A RealityTVStar ‘Lost His Mind’ and Beat His Friend to Death. What to Know About Ash Armand’s Case — and Where He Is Now Nearly 5 Years Later

Mar. 15, 2025

Ash Armand attends the Star Magazine’s Scene Stealers Event at Lure on October 9, 2014 in Los Angeles, California ; Ash Armand poses for a mugshot on June 17, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada.Photo:Valerie Macon/Getty ; Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via Getty

Valerie Macon/Getty ; Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via Getty

From 2011 to 2016, Showtime’s controversial reality showGigolosportrayed the glamorous, risqué lifestyle of five male escorts in Las Vegas. But, four years after the last episode aired, one of those escorts was arrested for murder.

Ash Armand, whose given name is Akshaya Kubiak, was sentenced to eight to 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and mayhem for the July 2020 beating death of Herleen Dulai, per theLas Vegas Review-Journal.

He claimed that she attacked him after they took psychedelic mushrooms together and that he “blacked out.”

Armand called the police to report her unconscious, and when officers arrived, they wrote in the arrest report that Dulai was “obviously deceased.” Her official cause of death was blunt force trauma and strangulation.

“I have never hit a woman in my life, and I certainly never wanted to hurt Herleen,” Armand said during his sentencing hearing in December 2021.

“After diving into this case and going down the rabbit hole, there was a rush to judgment,” Shearer said. “Bottom line is they got the right guy. I’m not in any way saying that didn’t happen. We have the right guy, but were corners cut? Yes. Was there a rush to judgment? Yes.”

So, what happened to Ash Armand? Here’s everything to know about theGigolosstar’s manslaughter case.

Who is Ash Armand?

Ash Armand attends the Star Magazine Scene Stealers Event at Lure on October 9, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.Jason Merritt/Getty

Jason Merritt/Getty

Ash Armand is a former star of the Showtime reality seriesGigoloswhojoined the castin season 3 and was known as the group’s “zen master.” Ona campaign funding websitefor his legal defense, Armand was described as a “gentle healer, sensitive teacher and generous friend.”

The reality star was raised in Maine and Japan with his two siblings, perRefinery 29. In a letter to the court, Armand’s mom wrote, “From when he was a little boy, Akshaya grew up immersed in the healing traditions & philosophies of the East & West.”

It is unclear when exactly Armand got into sex work, but he started working for the agency Cowboys4Angels in 2012, per Refinery 29, and the company’s founder, Garren James, got him a spot onGigolosthat year. Armand remained on the show for four years, until it ended in 2016.

What happened to Herleen Dulai?

A still of Herleen Dulai featured in ‘Sin City Gigolo’.De La Vega Fine Art & Imagery/Paramount+

De La Vega Fine Art & Imagery/Paramount+

“She touched every soul she came into contact with and left a sparkle,” her obituary read. “She will be remembered for her twinkling smile, contagious laughter and comforting hugs.”

Dulai was 29 years old when she died on July 16, 2020. The night before she had gone over to Armand’s house and the pair had taken psychedelic mushrooms, lit candles, prayed and watchedAvatar. At 10 a.m. the following morning, Armand called 911 and said, “It is going to sound insane because it is insane … There was a struggle. I temporarily lost my mind.”

“When the police get here, I’ll surrender,” Armand told the paramedics, according to the grand jury indictment. Later, Dulai’s autopsy found evidence of extreme violence and her cause of death was determined as blunt force trauma with strangulation as a contributing factor.

What was Ash Armand charged with?

Still of the arrest of Ash Kubiak featured in ‘Sin City Gigolo’.Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department/Paramount+

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department/Paramount+

Dulai’s death was ruled a homicide, according to the Clark County coroner’s office, and Armand was charged with her murder.

He later said that he attacked Dulai because she first attacked him. At the trial, her family asked what kind of assault could possibly make the level of violence Armand enacted necessary, per theLas Vegas Review-Journal.

In September 2021, he pleaded guilty to felony counts of voluntary manslaughter and mayhem reportedly to spare Dulai’s family a trial. Armand was sentenced to eight to 20 years in prison a few months later.

Why wasGigoloscanceled?

‘Sin City Gigolo’ cast members Bradley, Ash, Brace, Vin and Nick.Showtime/Paramount+

Showtime/Paramount+

It’s not clear whyGigoloswas canceled in 2016. But throughout its six-season run, the raunchy reality series was met with criticism — especially surrounding its legality. Prostitution has been legal in Nevada since 1971, but only if it occurs withina licensed brothel, perThe Nevada Independent.

Las Vegas police spokesman Marcus Martin told theLas Vegas Review-Journalin 2011 that even though theGigoloscast referred to themselves as a companion service and accepted payment prior to any sexual activity, the activities were still considered illegal.

“They can play the line as loose as they want to, semantically, but they’re still violating the law,” Martin said. However, because the transactions took place on camera and not in front of an officer, they weren’t considered an arrestable offense.

Where is Ash Armand now?

Ash Armand on a prison phone call in ‘Sin City Gigolo’.High Desert State Prison/Paramount+

High Desert State Prison/Paramount+

Armand has been serving his up to 20-year prison sentence at a Nevada correctional center since 2021. Shearer said she wanted to interview him forSin City Gigolobut wasn’t able to.

source: people.com