# Canadian landscaper serial killer **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2018, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752 "2018-01-29T19:00:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2018, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/21 "2018-02-11T20:35:02Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > He suffered from mental illness. > > He has undergone very successful treatment. I thought we were more willing to appreciate mental illness as a real, and treatable condition in this day and age. I’m fine with amending my post to say, “Whenever I think of horrible, scary things done by Canadians, I think of Vince Li.” The fact that he was mentally ill and was successfully treated doesn’t change the fact that what he did was creepy and will continue to haunt me as long as I ride buses and occasionally nod off. His victim is still headless and dead. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2018, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/22 "2018-02-11T23:09:11Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > My biggest concern with Vincent Li is that he had been on medication before the Bus thing and just chose to stop taking it. That should be everyone’s concern. He’s not cured, he apparently is being treated successfully to keep it under control but he will never be cured. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/23 "2018-02-12T03:18:44Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > That should be everyone’s concern. He’s not cured, he apparently is being treated successfully to keep it under control but he will never be cured. People don’t get cured of type one diabetes either, but if monitored and treated they can live full, functional lives. I’m not OK with murder, just to let you know, but obviously when you hear voices in your head instructing you to saw the head off a fellow bus passenger there’s something wrong. People like that are insane and deserve treatment, not to necessarily be locked away for life. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/24 "2018-02-12T06:04:48Z")
“I must say that I didn’t care for him burying his victims on our property, but on the bright side, the cherries are really doing well this year!” ok, I’ll show myself out. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/25 "2018-02-12T14:19:22Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > “I must say that I didn’t care for him burying his victims on our property, but on the bright side, the cherries are really doing well this year!” > > ok, I’ll show myself out. Burying victims in ornamental planters has to be the most ‘Toronto’ thing a serial killer could do. Creating horrible secrets while landscaping high-end real estate … ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/26 "2018-02-12T15:43:39Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > He suffered from mental illness. > > He has undergone very successful treatment. I thought we were more willing to appreciate mental illness as a real, and treatable condition in this day and age. Small comfort to Tim McLean, his family, or Ken Barker and his family (One of the first RCMP officers on the scene who subsequently committed suicide in part due to PTSD). But his risk of re-offending is only around 1% so that’s OK. [Cite](http://www.timslaw.ca/tag/vincent-li/). ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/27 "2018-02-12T18:16:18Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > People like that are insane and deserve treatment, not to necessarily be locked away for life. So you’ll rent him a room when he gets out? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/28 "2018-02-12T21:10:01Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > So you’ll rent him a room when he gets out? He is out. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/29 "2018-02-12T21:42:34Z")
To the victory garden goes the soils … ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/30 "2018-04-11T22:28:27Z")
[Police have added a 7th murder charge](https://apnews.com/1b5b742056e8489a94631d1703ef90da/Canadian-alleged-serial-killer-facing-7th-murder-charge): > [@](#): > > The prosecution said in the courthouse Wednesday that the 66-year-old landscaper has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Abdulbasir Faizi. McArthur appeared by video during the session. > > Detective Sgt. Hank Idsinga announced at a press conference later that the remains of three men, Selim Esen, Dean Lisowick and Faizi, have now been identified. McArthur had already been charged with the murders of Esen and Lisowick. > > Police have been trying to identify the remains of at least seven men found at a property McArthur used as storage for his landscaping business and say he targeted men he met through dating apps that cater to gay men, meeting them at bars in the “Gay Village” area of Toronto, as well as male prostitutes. > > Investigators have identified six sets of remains so far — 49-year-old Andrew Kinsman, 50-year-old Soroush Mahmudi, 40-year-old Skandaraj Navaratnam and now 44-year-old Esen, 42-year-old Faizi and 42-year-old Lisowick. > > Idsinga said they are looking into another 15 other cold cases dating back to the 1975 but have not found a connection. > > “We really don’t know how deep this is going to go,” Idsinga said. > > Idsinga said 75 properties linked to the landscaper are under investigation. They plan to search them once the weather warms in early May. _75 properties_!? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/31 "2018-04-16T06:18:47Z")
“We really don’t know how deep this is going to go” is, I think, more tone-deaf than “draining” was. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/32 "2018-04-16T14:26:29Z")
How are they going to “search” 75 properties? Ground penetrating radar? \*god help anyone who ever buried a deceased pet in the back yard. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/33 "2018-04-16T14:37:59Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > How are they going to “search” 75 properties? Ground penetrating radar? [Sniffer dogs](https://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/13/us/missing-men-bucks-county-cadaver-dogs/index.html)? 12 feet deep is pretty deep. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/34 "2019-01-29T16:16:00Z")
[8 guilty pleas](https://apnews.com/b5bd57c58c914cdcbe3c6c0acf40c837). > [@](#): > > A former landscaper charged with killing eight men with ties to Toronto’s Gay Village district pleaded guilty on Tuesday to eight counts of first-degree murder. > > Bruce McArthur, wearing a black sweater, stood up and said “guilty” to eight times as the charges were read. Sentencing will start Feb. 4. Good. That’s a start. * * * I’m struck by the fact that two major crime cases in Canada recently both had defendants simply enter guilty pleas. I can’t recall the last American high-profile case where anyone just pled guilty (the hockey bus crash case is the other, ICYWW), let alone two in the same week. It seems significant to me, even if I can’t quite articulate _why_ and _how_. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/35 "2019-01-29T16:39:15Z")
As if the song wasn’t bad enough, I’ll never hear “MacArthur Park” again without thinking of this. ---
**Author:** ![cgg419](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cgg419/32/2847_2.png) [@cgg419](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cgg419)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/36 "2019-01-29T18:50:11Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I’m struck by the fact that two major crime cases in Canada recently both had defendants simply enter guilty pleas. I can’t recall the last American high-profile case where anyone just pled guilty (the hockey bus crash case is the other, ICYWW), let alone two in the same week. It seems significant to me, even if I can’t quite articulate _why_ and _how_. I understand the feeling, and I’m also not sure why. I can see why MacArthur might have, there was basically no chance he would ever be free again, therefore no point in dragging things out. The Humboldt bus crash is different though. I can see why the driver would plead guilty, to avoid dragging things out for himself or the family. Yet from the sounds of things, he had a plausible defense based on several problems with that intersection. It will be interesting to see how much jail time he ends up with. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/37 "2019-01-29T21:29:06Z")
I wonder if the guy the cops found tied to the bed had realized yet that he was in danger. Or was he just having a nice time then, “BAM! POLICE! SORRY!” I mean, he probably thought he was about to get busted by the cops for gay sex and only afterwards found out how much danger he was in. A now irrelevant question is how admissible was any evidence found in that apartment? Since the guy plead guilty, it sounds like the cops had him dead to rights no matter what. But that may have been through all the other evidence even without the stuff from his residence. Could and did the prosecutors use the stuff the cops got in that raid? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/38 "2019-01-29T22:03:55Z")
Am I the only one who, upon seeing the thread title, thinks of a commercial? ‘It takes a lot of people to make mulch this good!’ ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/39 "2019-01-29T22:25:22Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > I wonder if the guy the cops found tied to the bed had realized yet that he was in danger. Or was he just having a nice time then, “BAM! POLICE! SORRY!” I mean, he probably thought he was about to get busted by the cops for gay sex and only afterwards found out how much danger he was in. > > A now irrelevant question is how admissible was any evidence found in that apartment? Since the guy plead guilty, it sounds like the cops had him dead to rights no matter what. But that may have been through all the other evidence even without the stuff from his residence. Could and did the prosecutors use the stuff the cops got in that raid? Why would one get “busted” for gay sex? ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752/40 "2019-01-30T00:38:17Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Why would one get “busted” for gay sex? Believe it or not, that used to be a thing. Back in the dark ages like the 60’s; or in Texas, until 2003. Or in some countries still today (not Canada, of course). People who know their history might still be a little nervous in situations like that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-landscaper-serial-killer/807752.md?page=3)