Serial killer Bruce McArthur has been sentenced to life in prison with no parole for 25 years for the murders of eight men in Toronto.
The 67-year-old self-employed landscaper pleaded guilty last week to murdering Selim Esen, Andrew Kinsman, Majeed Kayhan, Dean Lisowick, Soroush Mahmudi, Skandaraj Navaratnam, Abdulbasir Faizi, and Kirushna Kanagaratnam. All of McArthur’s victims had ties to Toronto’s gay village.
McArthur was arrested on Jan. 18, 2018 and charged with eight counts of first-degree murder.
A first-degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years, but when there are several convictions, the court can impose consecutive periods of parole ineligibility.
The Crown sought a life sentence with no chance of parole for 50 years while the Defence asked that McArthur be eligible for parole in 25 years.
Earlier this week, prosecutors laid out the horrific details of McArthur’s crimes during a sentencing hearing in Toronto.
The victims’ families, friends and spectators were warned by the crown that the specifics of the murders will be gruesome.
Police recovered the remains of seven men in large planters at a home in Toronto where McArthur worked while the remains of an eighth man was found in a nearby ravine.
Investigators found victims’ belongings in McArthur’s apartment, including a bracelet, jewellery 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.