"Eight Firsts": Bruce McArthur Pleads Guilty to Eight Murders, CityNews Report, 2019

Name: "Eight Firsts": Bruce McArthur Pleads Guilty to Eight Murders, CityNews Report, 2019
Uploaded: 2019-01-29T00:00:00Z
Duration: 3 min 16 s
Description: CityNews Toronto's report from January 29, 2019, the day Bruce McArthur pleaded guilty to eight first-degree murders and the first details of the crimes were read in court. McArthur is not heard.

CityNews Toronto's report from January 29, 2019, the day Bruce McArthur pleaded guilty to eight first-degree murders and the first details of the crimes were read in court. McArthur is not heard.

Subject: Bruce McArthur
Recorded: January 29, 2019
Runtime: 3:16

Content warning: Describes the sexual nature of the murders, the staging of bodies, a ligature, and the disposal of remains; no further graphic detail.

The Interview

This is a 3-minute-16-second CityNews Toronto report by Adrian Ghobrial, posted on the station's own channel on January 29, 2019, the day Bruce McArthur pleaded guilty. McArthur is not heard: cameras are not allowed in Ontario courtrooms, and the report describes his pleas. The speakers are the reporter, a speaker outside court who is not identified (probably an investigator), possibly a second unidentified speaker, and Karen Fraser, the homeowner for whom McArthur worked as a gardener.

Historical Context

Between 2010 and 2017 eight men, several with ties to Toronto's Gay Village, disappeared. Bruce McArthur, a self-employed landscaper, was arrested on January 18, 2018. The remains of seven of the men were found in planters at a property on Mallory Crescent in Toronto, where he worked as a gardener, and the eighth in a ravine behind it.

Circumstances

On January 29, 2019, before Justice John McMahon of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, McArthur pleaded guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder. A trial had been set for January 2020. The sentencing hearing began the following Monday, February 4, 2019, and on February 8 he was sentenced to life imprisonment with no eligibility for parole for 25 years, at which point he would be 91.

What the Recording Covers

The reporter says McArthur said "guilty" eight times in a packed courtroom, standing in a black sweater and showing little emotion. A speaker outside court calls the result "eight firsts" and says, "We did this for the family. We did this for the communities." The report lists details read in court: six of the eight murders were sexual in nature, some bodies were staged, a ligature was used in some, murder weapons were found in his van, he kept belongings of some of the men, and a duffel bag of restraints and syringes was found in his bedroom. Karen Fraser says she thinks about "the last moments of those men ... particularly the two that I met," and describes McArthur's family's reaction, when they came to collect his tools, as "sad, upset, a sense of wondering."

What Makes the Recording Significant

The report was made on the day the first official details of the murders emerged in court, and it includes an on-camera comment by Karen Fraser.

Archival Importance

It is the plea-day companion to CBC News's report on the sentencing hearing and to McArthur's 2016 Toronto Police interview.

Important Caveats

McArthur is not heard, and no courtroom video exists. The speaker outside court is not identified on tape; the description of him as an investigator is an inference. The lead detective named in the report, Dave Dickinson, was the primary investigator in the case (CTV News, Global News); Detective Sergeant Hank Idsinga, head of the homicide unit, was the major case manager. None of the eight murdered men is named in the report.

Adrian Ghobrial: Bruce McArthur said the word "guilty" eight separate times today as the names of his victims and the first-degree murder charges were read out inside a packed courtroom here on University Avenue, confirming what many have speculated for months: Bruce McArthur is a serial killer. Tonight we're learning for the very first time some of the details around the murder of eight men. A warning: some of the details in our story this evening are disturbing.

Speaker Outside Court: What happened today was a sure thing: eight pleas of first-degree murder for the eight murdered men. It wasn't, you know, possible seconds. It wasn't manslaughter. It was eight firsts.

Adrian Ghobrial: The guilty pleas were delivered inside the largest courtroom in Ontario. Standing in a black sweater, Bruce McArthur stood before Justice John McMahon. McArthur appeared attentive. He looked straight ahead at the Superior Court judge, showing little emotion as he said the word "guilty" over and over again. Behind McArthur sat the family members and friends of multiple victims. Toronto Police homicide investigators, including the case's lead detective, Dave Dickinson, sat front and center.

Speaker Outside Court: We did this for the family. We did this for the communities. People wanted answers.

Adrian Ghobrial: Today, for the very first time, we learned six of the eight murders were sexual in nature. Some bodies were staged after McArthur killed them. It was revealed that there was a ligature used during some of the murders. Police found murder weapons in his van. McArthur also kept personal belongings of some of the men he murdered in his apartment, including a bracelet, jewelry, even a notebook. Police also uncovered a duffel bag containing duct tape, a surgical glove, rope, zip ties, a black bungee cord and syringes inside McArthur's bedroom.

Speaker: Whenever you have to recount the details and the emotions, it brings everything back up.

Adrian Ghobrial: Next week, the Crown will be releasing even more details about the murders, and it's expected dozens of victim impact statements will be read out in court.

Speaker: They're going to have to relive all that loss again as they put these victim impact statements together.

Adrian Ghobrial: I spoke with the family members of multiple victims today. They declined comment, preferring to wait and share their thoughts after sentencing. However, some who found themselves intricately entwined in this horrific case did speak following an emotional day in court.

Karen Fraser: Just thinking about the last moments of those men. It comes to me quite often, particularly the two that I met.

Adrian Ghobrial: The court heard today that all of the body parts were disposed on and around Karen Fraser's Mallory Crescent property, where McArthur worked as a gardener. CityNews has learned McArthur's family recently came to Fraser's home to retrieve some of the gardening tools and items the killer had left behind.

Adrian Ghobrial: Your discussions with them, what did they say? What was their reaction to everything that [unclear: "was taking place" / "is hidden"]?

Karen Fraser: Sad. Upset. A sense of wondering. And it was extremely difficult.

Adrian Ghobrial: The next court date has been scheduled for this Monday. Three days have been set aside for the Crown to deliver even more details. We're going to hear victim impact statements, and there will be a sentence. Now, the judge saying no matter what the sentence is, Bruce McArthur won't be eligible for parole until he's 91 years old. [03:13: speech ends; clip runs to 03:16.] ---