McArthur now facing six murder charges

Toronto police have laid a new murder charge against an alleged serial killer who is believed to have preyed upon men from the city’s gay community for years, bringing the total number of people he’s accused of killing to six.

Det. Sgt. Hank Idsinga said Friday that Bruce McArthur has been charged with firstdegree murder in the death of 40-year-old Skandaraj Navaratnam, who disappeared from the city’s gay village in 2010.

Police have expanded the scope of the already sprawling investigation, Idsinga said, and more charges are expected against 66-year-old McArthur, who was arrested in January.

“There’s multiple outstanding murder cases that we’re looking at,’’ Idsinga told reporters. “There’s hundreds of outstanding missing persons occurrences that we’re looking at. There’s even some ... occurrences where there’s been a sudden death that we’re looking at.’’

Navaratnam’s remains were among those of six people recovered from planters at a residential Toronto property where McArthur worked as a landscaper, Idsinga said.

Three of the six sets of remains have now been identified using fingerprint analysis and dental records, Idsinga said, adding other confirmed victims are 49-year-old Andrew Kinsman and 50-year-old Soroush Mahmudi.

McArthur has also been charged with first-degree murder in the presumed deaths of 44-year-old Selim Esen, Majeed Kayhan, 58, and Dean Lisowick, either 43 or 44.

Work is underway to identify the three other sets of remains, Idsinga said, noting that police could be dealing with more victims not yet named in the list of charges.