5 chilling details about Harleen Dulai's murder

Harleen Dulai's murder at the hands of Ash Armand, a social media influencer and reality TV star under the influence of psychedelic drugs, remains one of the most chilling cases ever in the history of Las Vegas, Nevada. It was also the subject of ID's latest show Deadly Influence: Social Media Murders, which just aired its first episode on June 3, 2024.

The episode took viewers through the brutal murder of Harleen Dulai, an American citizen born to immigrant Indian parents. Dulai was reportedly beaten to death in what Ash Armand, her murderer, described as a blackout for him.

The episode is titled Sin City Clickbait. The synopsis for the same reads:

"Self-styled Instagram 'Sex and Fitness guru' Ash builds a life in the glitz, glamour, and excess of Las Vegas. But the wild ride ends when he becomes entangled with a lonely Sin City resident who he comes to believe holds a dark energy inside."

The case of Dulai's murder contains many chilling details that are extremely fascinating for true crime fans and expose the depth of this new social-media-led era and its crimes.

The episode, which contains a more comprehensive breakdown of the events, is available to stream on Max.

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5 chilling facts about Harleen Dulai's murder at the hands of Ash Armand

1) Harleen Dulai likely got in Armand's books because of her personal issues

Dulai and Armand were connected by psychedelic drugs (Image via Pexels)

Though Dulai belonged to an educationally rich background and had also graduated with biological sciences from Temple University. However, those close to her revealed that despite her cheerful nature, she grew up with a lot of insecurities, which likely affected her.

Moreover, as Ash Armand claimed to practice psytrance, Dulai's insecurities with herself likely led her to the social media influencer, which ended up killing her.

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2) Harleen Dulai stopped working at her gym and disappeared for months before she was found dead

Dulai was working at a gym quite dedicatedly months before her murder. However, she left the job and disappeared without any notice. This is when she likely met Armand and started taking recreational drugs with him.

Many had no clue where she was till news of her murder was reported in July 2020.

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3) Harleen Dulai was beaten to death in Armand's Nevada home

On July 16, 2020, Harleen's body was found in a house on Blackstone Ridge Court in Las Vegas, Nevada, where first responders reached after Armand called 911. Harleen was found beaten to death, with numerous bruises and fractures all over her body. Her body was also reportedly covered with molten wax.

An autopsy revealed that her death was due to a mixture of blunt force trauma and asphyxiation.

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4) Ash Armand surrendered to the police without a fight but claimed he was not in his senses

Harleen Dulai (Image via Parker and Elizabeth Funeral Home & Crematory, LLC)

Ash Armand admitted to the killing and surrendered himself to the authorities. However, the Instagram influencer and fitness guru claimed that he had a blackout during the incident and he had a bare minimum recollection of what happened. He claimed that it was out of a drug-fueled rage and was likely a self-defense move.

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5) Armand initially pleaded not guilty to the crime but later changed his plea

It came as a shock for the investigators of this very cooperative criminal when Ash Armand originally pleaded not guilty to the crime in 2020. However, in September 2021, Armand changed his plea to guilty for two felony counts of voluntary manslaughter and mayhem.

He was ultimately sentenced to prison for 8 to 20 years. He continues to remain in the Southern Desert Correctional Center in Nevada. He will be eligible for parole in 2028 after serving his minimum sentence of 8 years.

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You can find more about the case in Investigation Discovery's Deadly Influence: Social Media Murders, which is now streaming on Max.