Bruce McArthur, the 67-year-old Toronto landscaper and serial killer whohid his victims’ bodies in planters, admitted to murdering eight men Tuesday, PEOPLE confirms.
McArthur made international headlines last January when he was charged with murdering two missing men after their dismembered bodies were found hidden in the bottom of planters on a property where McArthur had done landscaping work on and stored some of his tools.
He was later charged with six additional counts of first-degree murder following the discovery ofsix more remains.
During the hearing, it was revealed McArthur planned out the murders. The once-married 67-year-old, who also played Santa Claus at a local shopping mall, targetedmen in the city’s Gay Village.
“A total of six of the eight murders were sexual in nature,” according to the statement. “Involving ligature and confinement and some of the victims’ bodies were staged after they were killed.”
More insight was given into the evidence prosecutors had against McArthur including jewelry belonging to two of the victims found in McArthur’s home and a duffel bag with duct tape, a surgical glove, zip ties, syringes and a black bungee cord. A journal belonging to one of the victims was also recovered.
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Long before McArthur’s arrest, regulars in Toronto’s Village knew something was wrong each time a new “Missing” flyer went up.
“We told police we thought it was a serial killer,” activist Alphonso King Jr. previously told PEOPLE, “and they flat-out told us no.”
However, the investigation was closed in 2014 when investigators “couldn’t establish whether these gentlemen had met with any foul play,”Toronto Police Service Det. Sgt. Hank Idsinga previously toldPEOPLE.
In August of 2017, police launched Project Prism — a new investigation into the case — after Esen, a philosophy student and recovering drug user, went missing in April and Kinsman went missing in June.
During their investigation, authorities removed 15 planters from 30 properties McArthur had done work on.
Chris Young/The Canadian Press/AP
On Tuesday during the hearing, lead investigator Detective David Dickinson read a statement addressed to the victim’s family and friends.
McArthur will be sentenced on Feb. 4.
source: people.com
