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CityNews  -  August 28

Two Suspects In Storage Lot Murder Identified - But Not The Victim
 

Wednesday morning, a lawyer contacted police about a dead body that might be lying somewhere on the grounds of a storage lot at Cherry and the Lake Shore. Cops arrived to find a lot of blood - but no victim. After an extensive search, they finally discovered human remains which they believe had been hidden in an empty waste bin.

It appears the man had been beaten to death several days earlier and cops may not have found him had one of those involved not sought out a lawyer. The advocate called police, which lead to the scene and the body.

Richard Sheridan, 46, and 30-year-old Jennifer Dunsford, both of Toronto, are charged with first degree murder.

To make an already odd case even stranger, cops know the names of their two main suspects - but not the identity of the dead man. He's thought to have been another homeless man squatting on the site who got into some kind of dispute with others illegally occupying the space and paid for it with his life.

Authorities are hoping he was arrested at some point in time in his past and that his fingerprints are on file, potentially providing his I.D. A post mortem will be held Friday to determine the exact cause of his death but there's evidence he was brutally beaten.

In the meantime, police are still searching for three more people - two males and another woman. It's possible one of them could turn themselves in to authorities on Thursday.

The hunt for the remaining suspects will continue.

Toronto Sun  -  August 27

Senator's aide accused in rape
 

An aide to Sen. Art Eggleton -- the former long-term mayor of Toronto -- has been charged with breaking into a woman's downtown home earlier this month, choking her with a belt and raping her.

According to court documents, Robert Meinzer, 38, allegedly sodomized and gagged the woman, threatened to cut her with scissors, and tried to extort her silence with threats he would publish nude photos of her.

Meinzer, Eggleton's chief of staff, was arrested in Toronto early Monday and later released on $25,000 bail.

While the suspect was in Toronto bail court at Old City Hall, Ottawa police kicked down the door to his house on a quiet, tree-lined street on the southside of the nation's capital, a witness said.

Cops were seen carrying cameras and wearing gloves as they entered the residence.

Police removed three large bags of evidence including sexually suggestive leather clothing, restraint ties and a computer hard drive, another witness said.

Meinzer is scheduled to appear back at Old City Hall on Sept. 14 at 9 a.m.

CityNews.ca  -  August 26

Murder Victim Found On Front Lawn By Stunned Homeowner
 

It was a startling sight that greeted neighbors as they woke up to the dawn's early light Tuesday - a man lying motionless and bleeding on a lawn. They immediately called police who swarmed to the scene and discovered Toronto's latest homicide victim.

Cops quickly sealed off the location on Bon Echo Ct. in the Markham and McLevin area. The man is believed to be his 30s and area residents say they heard what sounded like gunshots around 1am. Six hours later, a woman came out her front door and was stunned to find the dead body on her grass.

The man had already expired by the time emergency services personnel arrived and homicide detectives have now been called in. The victim hasn't been identified and the investigation into who he is and why he was killed is just beginning.

There are no known motives or suspects yet.

It's the 42nd murder of the year and the 25th at the point of a gun. It's a grim statistic, but it's an improvement over 2007 - last year at this time, we'd already had 55 homicides.

Toronto Star  -  August 26

Keith's beer ad actor jailed for child porn
 

Best known for his Alexander Keith's beer commercials, Robert Smith, 43, was sentenced to 21 months in jail yesterday for possessing and disseminating child pornography.

Following his release, he will also undergo a three-year probation period in which he will be forbidden to possess a computer or similar device unless at work, or to have unsupervised access to any child under the age of 16, which includes his own two young sons.

He must also provide a DNA sample for the national sex offender registry, and abide by other guidelines required by the registry act.

Smith's downfall began in September 2005, when Toronto police observed him downloading images and videos of sexually exploited children off the file-sharing website Limewire.

The following February, a police search of his North Toronto home turned up more than 1,100 such files – including more than 12 hours of illegal videos – which officers found on a pair of computers and a series of CDs.

Having already spent one month in jail, Smith is now scheduled to spend the next 20 months behind bars. He will likely serve between one and two thirds of that sentence, said his lawyer, Cindy Wasser, who called the sentence "fair.''

CityNews.ca  -  August 24

Suspect In Murder Of 15-Year-Old Boy Arrested
 

Peel Regional Police have arrested a youngster accused of gunning down a boy his own age behind a Mississauga school Friday night.

Evan Popoola was discovered without vital signs in the rear of St. Jude's Catholic School on Nahani Way just after the dinner hour. He'd been shot numerous times and was pronounced dead in hospital.

Late Saturday night, cops named the youngster they believe pulled that trigger. They distributed the picture of the suspect after receiving special permission to identify the 15-year-old.

It didn't take them long to find him. Just hours after airing his photograph, the accused was located and taken into custody. He can no longer be named.

It's still not clear what sparked the shooting but area residents are outraged by the violence and the ages of those involved. The area is a large park-like spot with many walkways, and families and youngsters were all around it on a warm summer Friday evening.

Peel Regional Police are still looking for more information on this case. Call (905) 453-2121 ext. 3205, or Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) if you know what might have triggered the shocking crime.

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TORONTO CRIME BLOTTER:

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Robbery (Mugging) - 42 Division

A 36 year old male reports that on August 26, 2008 at approximately 2216 hours he was in the area of Bay Mills Boulevard and Sheppard Avenue East when he was approached by two male suspects. One of the suspects was carrying a hand gun and pointed it at the victim’s head. The suspect then made a demand for the victim’s wallet. The suspect removed the victim’s cell phone and wallet containing personal identification and a quantity of cash from the victim’s pocket. The suspects then fled the scene in an unknown direction. The victim did not sustain any injuries. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described persons in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect #1: Male, black, 16 years, 5’7’’, 145 to 150 pounds, brown eyes, thin build. Suspect #2: Male, black, 16 to 18 years, 5’7’’, thin build.

7708/88771/02:11


Robbery (Swarming) - 41 Division

A 19 year old female and a 23 year old male report that on August 26, 2008 at approximately 2140 hours they were in the area of Pharmacy Avenue and Denton Avenue when they were approached from behind by five male suspects. One of the suspects then placed the male victim in a choke hold. The suspect then made a demand for the victim’s belongings. Three of the suspects approached the female victim and began searching the victim for her belongings. The suspects then fled the scene with the victims’ cell phone, MP3 Player and hat, in an unknown direction. The victims did not sustain any injuries. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described persons in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect #1: Male, 19 to 21 years, 5’4’’ to 5’5’’, 141 pounds. Suspect #2: Male, black, 18 to 20 years, 5’6’’ to 5’7’’, 161 to 165 pounds. Suspect #3: Male, black, 16 to 18 years, 5’4’’ to 5’5’’, 134 pounds. Suspect #4: Male, black, 5’9’’ to 5’10’’, 169 pounds. Suspect #5: Male, black, 20 years, 5’10’’, 174 pounds.

9685/88771/02:23


Robbery (Home Invasion) - 42 Division

An 18 year old female and a 20 year old male, residents of Finch Avenue East, report that on August 26, 2008 at approximately 2030 hours a male suspect entered the premises carrying a hand gun and pointed it at the victims. The suspect made a demand for the victims to sit on the floor. The victim’s complied. The suspect then tied the victim’s wrists behind their backs and ordered them to one of the bedrooms. The suspect removed a large quantity of cash from a box in the bedroom. The suspect fled the scene in an unknown direction. The victims did not sustain any injuries. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described person in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect: Male, asian, 20 to 25 years, 5’7’’, medium build.

9234/88771/02:38


Robbery (Purse Snatch) - 42 Division

A 39 year old female reports that on August 26, 2008 at approximately 1850 hours she was in the area of Bonis Avenue and Birchmount Road when she was approached by two male suspects, one brandishing a knife. One of the suspects then grabbed the victim’s purse containing a quantity of library books from her person. The suspects fled the scene in an unknown direction. The victim did not sustain any injuries. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described persons in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect #1: Male, black, 20 to 22 years, 5’9’’ to 5’10’’, 169 to 180 pounds, black hair, medium build. Suspect #2: Male, asian, 20 to 22 years, 5’7’’ to 5’8’’, 161 to 169 pounds, black hair, medium build.

7708/88771/02:56


Robbery (Taxi) - 31 Division

A 24 year old male driver of Kingsboro Taxi Ltd., 4180 Dundas Street West reports that on August 27, 2008 at approximately 0145 hours, he responded a call for pick up in the vicinity of Coulter Avenue and King George Road. Once at the destination, he was approached by three male suspects, two of them armed with a knife and a handgun. One of the suspects pressed a knife to the middle of the victim’s back, threatened him and removed his wallet and cellular phone while another suspect started rummaging through the victim’s vehicle. The female suspect ripped the microphone and cord to both dispatch radios off and removed them from the vehicle. All suspects then fled the scene on foot in an unknown direction. No injuries were sustained by the victim. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described persons in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect #1: Male, white, 23 to 28 years, 5’10”, 200 pounds. Suspect #2: Male, black, 25 to 30 years, 5’8”. Suspect #3: Male, black. Suspect #4: Female, white, 24 to 27 years, 5’6”, medium build, shoulder length hair.

9904/86272/07:21


Robbery - 52 Division

A 52 year old male reports that on August 26, 2008 at approximately 0130 hours, he was walking in the vicinity of Jane Street and Lawrence Avenue West, when he was approached by a male suspect. The suspect made a demand for cash and the victim did not comply. The suspect punched the victim in the face and on the head and removed his wallet containing personal identification. The suspect then fled the scene eastbound on Lawrence Avenue West. The victim sustained minor injuries and will seek his own medical attention. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described person in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect: Male, black, 25 to 35 years, 5’10” to 6’2”, 150 to 200 pounds, short black hair,

5282/86272/11:38


Theft Over - 31 Division

A 71 year old male reports that between 0045 hours and 0700 hours, August 27, 2008, unknown suspect(s) removed a quantity of jewellery, a laptop, a digital camera and personal effects from his vehicle parked in the parking lot in the area of Front Street and Church Street.

3694/86272/11:55


Break & Enter (Dwelling) - 11 Division

A resident of Runnymede Road reports that between 2130 hours, August 26, 2008 and 0800 hours, August 27, 2008, entry was gained into the premises by forcing a garage door. Removed was a quantity of restaurant equipment.

9342/86272/14:56


Robbery (Swarming) - 31 Division

Three 15 year old males report that on August 27, 2008 at approximately 0130 hours, they were in the area of Highbury Road and Wallasey Avenue, when they were approached by three male suspects, two of whom were on bikes. One suspect produced a knife, made a demand for one victim’s bike and for all victims to empty their pockets. The victims complied and the suspects fled the scene with the victim’s bike and cell phones, in an unknown direction. No injuries were sustained by the victims. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described persons in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect #1: Male, black, 15 to 18 years, 5’8”, 130 to 150 pounds, thin build, black hair. Suspect #2: Male, black, 18 years, 5’5”, black hair. Suspect #3: Male, black 18 to 20 years, 5’11”.

9480/87721/17:47


Robbery (Mugging) - 42 Division

A 16 year old male reports that on August 27, 2008 at approximately 1220 hours, he was walking in the area of Neilson Road and Tapscott Road when he was approached by a male suspect who engaged him in conversation. The victim attempted to escape but was grabbed by the suspect, punched and had his cell phone removed. The suspect then fled the scene southbound on Tapscott Road. No injuries were sustained by the victim. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described person in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect: Male, black (light complexion), 17 to 19 years, 5’7”, 130 to 141 pounds, brown eyes, black afro hair.

9008/87721/17:51


Robbery (Home Invasion) - 54 Division

A 42 year old male reports that on August 27, 2008 at approximately 0130 hours, he was in his apartment located in the area of St. Dennis Drive, when he answered a knock on the door. Three male suspects entered the apartment, threatened, tied, bound, punched and kicked the victim. The suspects then removed a TV, VCR, fan and clothing and fled the scene in an unknown direction. The victim was transported to hospital by Toronto EMS where he is being treated for his injuries. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described persons in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect #1: Male, black (light complexion), 32 to 34 years, 6’0” to 6’1”, 150 to 154 pounds, thin build, black long hair. Suspect #2: Male, black (light complexion) 5’7” to 5’8”, 141 to 145 pounds, thin build, black hair in cornrows. Suspect #3: Male, black, 6’0”, 141 pounds, think build, black afro hair.

90119/87721/17:54


Robbery (Home Invasion) - 22 Division

A 26 year old female reports that on August 27, 2008 at approximately 1440 hours, she was in a dwelling located in the No. 22 Division area when a male suspect entered and pointed a handgun in her face. The suspect ordered the victim to the floor, ransacked the bedroom and made a demand for cash. The suspect took the victim to a second bedroom and ransacked the room. The victim was taken to the basement, threatened with harm and placed in a closet. The suspect removed a quantity of cash from the victim’s purse and fled the scene in an unknown direction. No injuries were sustained by the victim. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described person in connection with this offence. Description of Suspect: Male, white, 30 years, 6’0”, 190 pounds, medium build, short wavy black hair.

6687/86345/19:09
 

Previous Occurrence Reports HERE