A former landscaper and mall Santa Claus pleaded guilty in a Toronto courtroom Tuesday morning to killing 8 men over a seven-year period.
Bruce McArthur, 67-years-old, has been charged with eight counts of first-degree murder which included hiding the victims’ dismembered bodies.
The victims have been identified as Selim Esen, Andrew Kinsman, Majeed Kayhan, Dean Lisowick, Soroush Mahmudi, Skandaraj Navaratnam, Abdulbasir Faizi and Kirushna Kanagaratnam.
According to local news station CP24, the murders were "sexual in nature," and there were signs that they were premeditated.
Additionally, there was evidence of 'confinement' involved in the incidents.
During a search of McArthur's apartment, police found some of the victims' personal belongings.
The murders occurred between 2010 and 2017 in Toronto.
“The bodies of all eight men were found dismembered in planters and in a ravine near a home on Mallory Crescent where McArthur stored tools for his landscaping business," reports CP24.
McArthur’s next court appearance is set for February 4. At that time, victim impact statements will be filed in the court and the sentencing phase will begin.
Karen Fraser, who owns the property where the bodies were found, told CP24 she feels “violated” by the atrocities.
When asked about McArthur, she described the former landscaper as having two different personalities.
“We call it ‘Bruce A’ and ‘Bruce B.’ ‘Bruce A’ was a man who seemed to have made decisions about his life and was very happy with it. He enjoyed his job. He enjoyed his clients,” she told CP24.
“(He) never got bored with the plants. He was very talented at it. He was very fond of his children. He was a great grandfather. He was the best friend, neighbour, relative that anyone could want. That was ‘Bruce A.’ ‘Bruce B,’ Who was that? I don’t know.”
