Trial of gay porn actor accused of murder and mutilation begins in Canada
The trial of gay porn actor Luka Rocco Magnotta who’s accused of killing and dismembering his lover has started in Canada.
He is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Jun Lin, a 33-year-old Chinese-born student who was studying engineering at Concordia University in Montreal.
Magnotta is also accused of committing indignities to a human corpse, mailing obscene materials, publishing obscene materials and threatening public officials.
It is claimed he carved up Mr Lin’s body, sexually abused the corpse and filmed the act before posting the video online.
Days after the killing, Montreal police discovered the victim’s torso in a suitcase by rubbish bins outside an apartment next to a busy highway.
His severed hands and feet were sent through the mail to federal political parties in Ottawa and to two schools in Vancouver.
The head was found in a Montreal park several months later.
Arrested last June in Germany and extradited after fleeing Canada, Magnotta has pleaded not guilty.
Charges against the 30-year-old will be outlined in a preliminary hearing on Monday to decide whether there is enough evidence to prosecute.
The father of Mr Lin is attending the proceedings.
If convicted, Magnotta faces life imprisonment.
Born Eric Clinton Newman, he changed his name to Magnotta in 2006, after years of swapping aliases such as Vladimir Romanov or Angel.
He has been dubbed ‘Canadian Psycho’ because the soundtrack from the film American Psycho was playing in the background as he allegedly murdered his victim.
