TORONTO — A sentencing hearing for a serial killer who preyed on men in Toronto’s gay village is expected to get underway today.
Bruce McArthur, who pleaded guilty last week to eight counts of first-degree murder, is slated to hear from victims’ families and friends who will give statements to the court.
The prosecution laid out previously unheard details of the case in a brief synopsis of facts last week that included 67-year-old McArthur admitting he sexually assaulted and forcibly confined many of his victims before murdering them.
Police found victims’ belongings in McArthur’s apartment, including a bracelet, jewelry and a notebook.
They also found a duffel bag containing duct tape, a surgical glove, rope, zip ties, a bungee cord and syringes in McArthur’s bedroom along with the DNA of several victims inside his van.
Court will also hear a more fulsome agreed statement of facts about the murders once the victim impact statements are heard.
Police arrested McArthur a year ago and eventually charged him in the deaths of Selim Esen, Andrew Kinsman, Majeed Kayhan, Dean Lisowick, Soroush Mahmudi, Skandaraj Navaratnam, Abdulbasir Faizi, and Kirushna Kanagaratnam.
The Canadian Press