MONTREAL – Luka Rocco Magnotta was found guilty on Tuesday of first-degree murder and four other charges in the killing and dismemberment of Jun Lin in May 2012. Here is a timeline of events in the case:
2011
March: Magnotta arrives in Montreal.
July: Chinese student Jun Lin arrives in Montreal.
December: Magnotta and British journalist Alex West cross paths in London, England. An email sent shortly after to West’s newspaper contains language and comments that seem to foreshadow a human killing in the near future.
2012
April 17: Magnotta meets with psychiatrist Dr. Joel Paris at Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, where he’s diagnosed as having a personality disorder and is sent home with follow-up appointment.
May 18-19: A mystery man is filmed at Magnotta’s apartment, with 53 seconds worth of footage later appearing in Lin dismemberment video. In it, Magnotta is seen brandishing hand-held electric saw over the man, who is blindfolded and snoring heavily.
May 24: Lin last seen by friends and last spotted entering Magnotta’s apartment building on apartment surveillance video at 10:16 p.m.
May 25-26: Magnotta seen coming and going from apartment, emptying its contents, including victim’s body.
May 26: Montana lawyer Roger Renville sees bizarre Internet video he believes is snuff film depicting bound man being stabbed to death and dismembered.
May 26: Magnotta departs Montreal on Paris-bound Air Transat flight.
May 27: Renville alerts U.S. and Canadian police to Internet video but they dismiss it as a fake.
May 29: Montreal police called to low-rent apartment building after janitor finds dismembered torso in suitcase left in trash. Same day, foot is found in package mailed to Conservative party in Ottawa and hand is found in package in Canada Post warehouse. Package destined for Liberal party. Lin reported missing by friends.
May 30: Montreal police name Magnotta as prime suspect and say national warrant issued for his arrest. Interpol adds him to wanted list, putting police in 190 countries on alert. Montreal police find video on Internet and try unsuccessfully to have it taken down.
May 31: Montreal police confirm they have video apparently showing man tied to bed, being killed and then dismembered.
May 31: Magnotta boards overnight bus from Paris bound for Berlin.
June 1: Montreal police identify torso victim as Lin, a 33-year-old Chinese computer science student at Concordia University. Warrant issued for Magnotta on upgraded first-degree murder charge. Police say Magnotta also charged with threatening Prime Minister Stephen Harper because of foot mailed to Conservative Party of Canada offices.
June 1: Magnotta arrives in Berlin.
June 2: French police conduct “targeted” searches.
June 3: French media report Magnotta stayed in low-budget hotel in Paris. French media report police checking claims of two people who say they saw him. Chinese Embassy in Ottawa issues statement advising Chinese visitors to Canada to take safety precautions.
June 4: German police acting on tip arrest Magnotta in Berlin in Internet cafe. He faces charges of first-degree murder, committing indignity to dead body, mailing obscene material and criminally harassing prime minister and several unidentified MPs. Harper, attending Queen’s Jubilee in Britain, congratulates police on their quick work.
June 5: Two schools in Vancouver receive packages containing human remains: a hand and a foot. In Berlin, Magnotta informs authorities he will not fight extradition. Lin’s family arrives in Montreal.
June 11: Magnotta transferred to Berlin prison hospital where observing psychiatrist is convinced he’s in psychotic state.
June 13: Forensic tests allow Montreal police to confirm torso, feet and hands all belong to Lin. Berlin court orders Magnotta to remain behind bars pending extradition to Canada.
June 18: Magnotta arrives in Montreal aboard Canadian military plane. Video and photos provided by city police show him handcuffed and surrounded by detectives as he gets off aircraft.
June 19: Magnotta pleads not guilty after being formally charged with first-degree murder of Lin, along with defiling his corpse, harassing Harper and MPs, and publishing and mailing obscene material.
June 21: Magnotta makes in-person court appearance in Montreal to set future court dates (previous appearance was via video conference). Is represented by Toronto lawyer Luc Leclair.
July 1: Tip leads Montreal police to a park in Montreal’s west end, where they discover Lin’s skull near a pond.
July 4: Forensic tests allow Montreal police to confirm body part found three days earlier was Lin’s head.
2013
March 11: Preliminary hearing begins. Magnotta’s lawyers argue, unsuccessfully, that courtroom should be closed to public and media. Courtroom remains open and more routine publication ban is applied to details of hearing.
March 12: Jun Lin’s father, Diran, leaves courtroom in tears after hearing evidence. Details of that evidence are subject to publication ban. Members of Lin’s family from China are in Canada to follow case.
March 19: Magnotta collapses in court during preliminary hearing while appearing distraught by evidence presented against him. Still handcuffed, he falls to his side in prisoner’s box and curls into fetal position.
April 12: Magnotta ordered to stand trial on five charges, including first-degree murder, in decision by Quebec court Judge Lori-Renee Weitzman.
April 29: Trial date set for September 2014.
Nov. 13: Magnotta enters fresh not-guilty pleas.
2014
Feb. 7: Justice Guy Cournoyer grants order to allow witness testimony to be gathered in France and Germany.
July 21: Cournoyer rules out blanket publication ban on trial evidence.
Sept. 8: Jury selection begins.
Sept. 19: Jury finalized after eight days of selection hearings.
Sept. 29: Trial begins with Leclair saying his client admits to slaying Lin, but said he intends to show he was not criminally responsible at the time.
Oct. 31: Crown prosecutor Louis Bouthillier closes case against Magnotta after presenting 48 witnesses.
Nov. 25: Defence rests case after calling 12 witnesses.
Dec. 4: Jury hears from last of six rebuttal witnesses, bringing total number to 66.
Dec. 10: Leclair urges jurors in closing arguments to find Magnotta not criminally responsible. Tells them not to get bogged down in various expert reports and says ”insanity is insanity.”
Dec. 11: In his closing arguments, Bouthillier asks jurors to convict Magnotta on all five charges. Tells them the accused was “purposeful, mindful, ultra-organized and ultimately responsible for his actions.”
Dec. 15: Cournoyer gives instructions to jurors and they are then sequestered to decide the verdict.
Dec. 16: Jury begins deliberations.
Dec. 23: Jurors find Magnotta guilty of all five charges on their eighth day of deliberations.
Source:: Metro News
