Tribute to a murder victim
Philosophical artist one of eight alleged victims tied to McArthur case
Inside St. Stephen’s-in-the-Fields church, Ferhat Cinar rose from his front-row seat and accepted a gift. It was the handiwork of his youngest brother, Selim Esen — a painting he would never complete.
Esen’s plan for the piece is sketched out in faint pencil strokes of abstract shapes, each fitting inside the other like a puzzle. He had begun carefully filling each one with vibrant red, green and yellow — a kaleidoscope of colour meant to fill the canvas.
Esen started the painting in the peer support program at St. Stephen’s, a group for adults recovering from trauma and substance abuse. There, Esen was known for his intensity — a curious, exacting mind. Early on, when asked to bring in a single meaningful quote for group discussion, he’d arrived with two handwritten pages of his own thoughts. His usual meticulous approach can be seen in the painting, said program leader Richard Kikot — “he had big ideas, very intricate plans, because he was a masterful thinker.”
For nine months, Cinar and his family have been waiting to mark Esen’s death. In January, Cinar and his brother, Omer Esen, were informed that their brother was among the alleged victims of accused serial killer Bruce McArthur. Police believe Esen, 44, was killed in April 2017, the seventh of McArthur’s alleged eight victims.
Their brother’s remains were finally released to them this week, Cinar and Omer Esen travelled from their homes in London, England, for the funeral. The service was both a ceremony and a fact-finding mission. Since they’ve arrived, the brothers have been determined to colour in the last parts of Esen’s life, a final period he’d spent away from his family and native Turkey.
One of seven siblings, Esen was the youngest of six brothers, closest with his sister, the baby. Growing up, he’d had in- terminable energy. It fuelled him through an undergraduate, then a master’s, degree in sociology at Ankara’s Haceteppe University, all while working to help support his family.
His early adult life saw the bond of family and the pull of adventure. Handsome, with a strong jaw and dark eyes, he looks out from photos played in the memorial slide show. He cuddles his young nieces and nephews, he stands in the sun in the Australian countryside, where he moved with a former boyfriend. His move to Canada had been in pursuit of love, too, but the relationship didn’t last. He’d struggled with substance abuse. Those he met at St. Stephen’s saw Esen’s recent graduation from the peer program as a sign he was dedicated to re- covery.
A similar path meant Kikot and Esen spoke freely about life outside the margins. Kikot grew to look forward to Esen’s contributions to group discussions, which he shared through a “philosophical lens — he loved to unpack things.”
“He was soft, in a dignified, strong way,” Kikot said.
A book of condolences told a similar story, filled by the end of the night with messages. Virtually every one used the same descriptor: gentle.
Gab Laurence, a manager at St. Stephen’s, was struck by Esen’s authenticity — that he was himself, no matter who he was with.
“It’s very hard to be yourself in this world,” she said during the service.
After the memorial, as attendees cried and reminisced, Cinar and Omer mingled, speaking to each person and taking a group photo. Esen’s remaining siblings back in Turkey had made impassioned requests for pictures, unable to afford to attend.
The funeral will bring only partial closure. Cinar says that won’t fully come until he, and everyone else, understands the scope of the tragedy that claimed his brother.
He will watch McArthur’s trial, and the ongoing independent review of Toronto police handling of missing persons cases, commissioned amid outrage over past police probes of the disappearances of men now alleged to be McArthur’s victims. Saying he feels police should have done more to find the missing men earlier, Cinar says there must also be a public inquiry.
“The public can’t feel in the dark,” he said. This weekend, Cinar and Omer will collect their brother’s ashes and scatter them, something they see as honouring Esen’s lifelong quest for freedom.
They will bring Esen’s painting back home, but Cinar doesn’t know what he’ll do with it. He is considering painting the rest himself, but may leave it as it is.
“It’s an unfinished story,” he said. “Just like him.”