Bruce McArthur case: Sentencing hearing continues, court to hear victim impact statements

Family and friends of the eight men killed by Bruce McArthur, as well as community organizations, will continue to present victim impact statements on Tuesday, the second day of McArthur’s sentencing hearing.

On Monday, the court heard disturbing detailed evidence of the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Selim Esen, Andrew Kinsman, Majeed Kayhan, Dean Lisowick, Soroush Mahmudi, Skandaraj Navaratnam, Abdulbasir Faizi and Kirushna Kanagaratnam.​

“For years, members of the LGBTQ community in Toronto believed they were being targeted by a killer. They were right,” Crown Attorney Michael Cantlon told the court while reading from an agreed statement of facts.

“Most of the deceased had traits that made victimization more likely or harder to detect. Some were forced to live parts of their life in secret because of their orientation. Some lacked stable housing. There is evidence that Mr. McArthur sought out and exploited these vulnerabilities to continue his crimes undetected.”

Last week, McArthur, a 67-year-old, self-employed gardener, pleaded guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder. Most of the killings, which happened between 2010 and 2017, were described as being “sexual in nature” and there were many instances cited where there was evidence of ligatures being used.

In pictures stored on McArthur’s computer devices, some of the victims could be seen staged and wearing a fur coat, a fur hat and/or a cigar in their mouths.

In McArthur’s bedroom, officers found a bag with duct tape, a surgical glove, rope, zip ties, a bungee cord and syringes as well as DNA belonging to multiple victims inside McArthur’s van and on the fur coat. McArthur kept items belonging to some of his victims, such as jewelry belonging to Lisowick and Navaratnam.

It was determined that McArthur dismembered his victims’ bodies at a home on Mallory Crescent in Toronto’s Leaside neighbourhood where he kept his gardening materials in “an effort to avoid detection.”

The remains were found in a ravine behind the home and in large planters stored on the property. A forensic expert found that McArthur moved and mixed the body parts after the remains were already decomposed and skeletonized.

Cantlon told the court the big break in case came after Kinsman met up with McArthur in downtown Toronto. Police later found an entry on Kinsman’s calendar with the name “Bruce.” Kinsman was seen on surveillance video getting into a 2004 red Dodge Caravan. Investigators were able to narrow down the list of potential vehicles to McArthur’s van.

After the presentation of the agreed statement of facts, those impacted by the murders began to address the court. Approximately a dozen people spoke.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I envision his life ending the way it did. The night before court, I could not sleep,” Patricia Kinsman, the sister of Andrew Kinsman, said Monday afternoon, adding she learned he was missing through a Facebook post.

“I think about Andrew every day, a life that was snuffed out by someone that knew him for close to 15 years — a person that strangled Andrew, dismembered him, threw him in a planter and then admired his work for seven months.”

Rev. Deana Dudley, a minister with the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto, reflected on how community members came together to mourn for the victims. She said community anger has been turned toward McArthur and occasionally police, adding there’s room for growth.

Dudley said, while looking at McArthur, many questioned what more they could have done to protect the victims.

“The guilt lies squarely and solely with the defendant,” she said.

After the rest of the victim impact statements are read out in court on Tuesday, the Crown and defence attorneys are expected to make submissions on what McArthur’s sentence should be.

Justice John McMahon said a sentencing judgment could come down by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, a Toronto police tribunal hearing is scheduled to be held on Tuesday for 32 Division Det. Paul Gauthier. He was charged with neglect of duty and insubordination related to an attempted choking incident in 2016 involving McArthur, who was arrested but later released without charges being laid.

Gauthier’s lawyer said the decision to release McArthur was made in consultation with Gauthier’s superior and “based on the information available at the time.”

“Det. Gauthier conducted a proper investigation and fully documented the arrest of McArthur so that the information was available to all other investigators,” Lawrence Gridin told Global News in a statement on Friday.

“McArthur’s monstrous nature was difficult to uncover because he led a life of extreme deception, not because of anything to do with the 2016 arrest. Det. Gauthier has great sympathy for the victims and the community.”

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