Brett Ryan charged in triple killings
Fake Beard Bandit was to be married in three weeks
TORONTO — A man once dubbed the Fake Beard Bandit and due to be married in three weeks in Hamilton was charged Friday in a bloody crossbow attack that left three people dead.
Wearing white coveralls and fumbling with his fingers, Brett Ryan, 35, of Toronto, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder during a brief court appearance.
Ryan looked attentive and had no obvious signs of injury. He did not speak to the court, but did nod when asked if he understood that he was to remain in custody pending a second appearance Sept. 2.
Details of the proceedings including the names of the victims, one of whom owned the house where the killings occurred, cannot be reported due to a publication ban.
Police have released few details about the killings or what might have motivated them.
The relationship between the accused and the three victims — two men and a woman — was not released.
Ryan lived in an upscale waterfront condo that was evacuated on Thursday after police responded to a report of a suspicious package at about the same time they were dealing with the east-end killings. The two incidents were related, police said, though they offered no details on the link.
In 2008, Ryan was arrested in the case of the Fake Beard Bandit, and charged with numerous counts of robbery, wearing a disguise and possession of dangerous weapons. The charges related to a string of bank robberies in Toronto and nearby Durham Region in which a man showed a teller a note indicating he was armed and demanded cash.
In that case, Ryan was arrested after going into a bank in a false beard carrying pepper spray, police said at the time. It was not immediately clear what became of the charges.
Social media profiles show the accused was engaged to a registered physiotherapist. They were to be married at the on Sept. 16.
The couple, according to their registry page, met three years ago on a blind date in downtown Toronto.
Thursday’s crossbow killings shocked the otherwise tranquil, tree-lined neighbourhood as police cordoned off the immediate area. One neighbour, who said he made the call to 911, described a harrowing scene that began with a knock on his door by a man covered in blood.
“I opened the door and this gentleman almost fell on me, so I sort of carried him half into the living room and he fell down on the floor,” the man said Friday.
“He said: ‘Call 911 … make sure the police come, make sure the police come.’”