Bruce McArthur will not be eligible for parole until he’s 91 as court rules that there is “no doubt” he could have continued killing after his seven-year murder spree.
The serial killer Bruce McArthur, who murdered eight men with ties to Toronto’s gay village between 2010 and 2017, was sentenced to life in prison, on Friday.
McArthur (67) pleaded guilty to all eight killings and was sentenced to 25 years for each.
The presiding Judge, Justice John McMahon, told the Ontario Superior Court said he had “no doubt Bruce McArthur would have continued killing.” He also noted that McArthur had not expressed remorse or turned himself into police. The killer will be eligible for parole at the age of 91.
His victims were Selim Esen, Andrew Kinsman, Majeed Kayhan, Dean Lisowick, Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam, Abdulbasir Faizi, Skandaraj Navaratnam, and Soroush Mahmudi.
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McArthur, whose mother was Irish, admitted to sexually assaulting, killing and in some cases photographing the dead bodies of eight men connected to the Toronto gay village.
The judge said, "All or most of the victims were vulnerable individuals who were lured to their death.”
Two were homeless with addiction problems, one a refugee awaiting deportation, and the others were married men who had hidden their sexuality from their families.
"The accused exploited his victims' vulnerabilities, whether they involved immigration concerns, mental health challenges, or people living a secretive double life."
The remains of seven of McArthur’s victims were found, dismembered, in garden planters at a Toronto home where he had worked as a gardener. The remains of an eighth victim were later discovered in a ravine behind the same property.
In January 2018, when police entered McArthur’s apartment, they found a young man bound to the bed. While he was unharmed, he may well have become McArthur’s ninth victim, according to Judge McMahon.
An independent review of how the case was handled by police is being carried out following criticism of how the case was handled and how McArthur got away with a seven-year killing spree.
Here’s more on the court ruling and victim statements:
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