Canadian Murder Suspect Looked at for Hollywood Decapitation Case

AP
Dashiell Bennett 483 Views Jun 8, 2012

Police in Los Angeles say they're looking into the possibility that accused murder suspect Luka Magnotta could be connected to a dismembered body found near the famous Hollywood sign in January. Magnotta is believed to have murdered his lover (and posted a video of the death online) and then mailed his severed body parts to various locations across Canada. He fled to Europe and was arrested in Berlin on Monday.

The decapitated and dismembered body of Hervey Medellin was discovered by hikers in the Hollywood Hills earlier this year, but no suspects were ever identified. After Magnotta's story became worldwide news, an investigation of his online history by Hunter Walker at The New York Observer revealed that he may have been in Los Angeles at the time of Medellin's murder. Postings on Magnotta's Facebook account from February said that he was "doing massages" in L.A. and was trying to arrange meetings with friends.

The connection may be a complete longshot as right now the only "evidence" that Magnotta is the killer is that both victims were gay, their bodies were cut up, and the parts were placed in prominent locations where they would be easily discovered. However, LAPD officials say they are looking into it as any lead is worth following when you don't have a lot of other options.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at dbennett at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.

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