All language subtitles for A.U.S01E12.1080p.WEB.h264-CASUALTY_track3_[eng]

- [Narrator] Toronto's
LGBTQ+ community

and the police have a long
history, some of it contentious.

- The alarm bell keeps ringing
as more and more gay men

are murdered or
missing in Toronto.

- [Narrator] Every case left
unsolved carries the weight

of this relationship between
the police and the community.

- In 1991, 1 more gay
man is found murdered,

it's in a downtown
Toronto apartment

and the case quickly goes cold.

- Sometimes you
exhaust all leads.

They've eliminated everyone

that they know of until new
information comes forward.

- [Narrator] Some
are left believing

that the police just
don't care about them,

but eventually, patience
and determination leads

to the reopening of a case
that had long gone cold.

- This project
called Never Give Up,

now that today's technology
advanced the investigation

through DNA or even
fingerprint technology.

- A serial killer could be
the key to solving a case

that had gone unsolved.

- [Narrator] With potential
to finally bring justice

for a victim and a community.

- The unsolved ones,
we have to stand up.

- And approach these cases
in a way outside the box.

- Let the world know
that those out there

that did commit a murder,

now there are people that
are coming after you.

- There's just a lot
of good people trying

to do the right thing.

- Because it's something

that you have to be
passionate about.

- Solve this, bring
some peace to the family

at least just doing my job.

(intense music)

- [Narrator] Early in the
morning of September 12th, 1995,

the Toronto Police
receive a call,

the concerned caller hasn't
heard from their friend in days

and asks the police
to investigate.

- Most calls the police
go to aren't necessarily

an emergency.

Sometimes family or
neighbors are concerned

because they haven't heard
from the person for some time,

or something isn't right.

In some cases, the police can do

what's known as a
wellbeing check,

a quick check to see if
someone might be in trouble.

- [Narrator] When the police
arrive, it is immediately clear

that something is amiss.

The mailbox is full

and newspapers have
been piling up for days.

- A vague call
can sometimes lead

to an unexpected
discovery for police.

Every detail has potential
to paint a broader image.

Untouched mail can
arouse suspicion,

but until more is learned,

it can be the first hint
towards someone missing,

stuck inside, or simply
avoiding their mail.

They can enter a residence
if there is reason

to believe the person
may be in trouble.

- [Narrator] Once inside
Dennis's apartment,

the police officer makes
a tragic discovery.

Dennis is found under his
kitchen table, beaten and alone.

- An investigating officer
would have some basic training

and experience when coming
upon a body in this situation.

It's clear that Colby has
been there for some time.

- He was found murdered
in his kitchen,

kind of living
room, kitchen area.

It was obvious that there
had been a lot of activity

in that kitchen area,
there was a struggle.

- The smell and
visible decomposition,

as well as the blood
around the body indicates

the body has been
there for several days.

- [Narrator] The officer can
confidently assume the body

to be Dennis Joseph Colby,

an openly gay man who
lives in the apartment.

- Because the initial
indications of the body,

this is potentially a murder.

- [Narrator] Unfortunately,
an openly gay man found

in this state isn't as
rare as it should be.

The Church Wellesley
Village of Toronto

is also known as
The Gay Village,

and for a long time has
been known as the home

of Toronto's LGBTQ+ community,

but this wasn't always
common knowledge,

instead being a home of
underground bathhouses

and bars that were frequented
primarily by gay men.

- Historically in Canada,

the relationship
between law enforcement

and the LGBTQ community

where they're their national,

provincial or more
local was contentious.

A lot of it reflects
upon the attitudes

of the larger society.

LGBTQ were considered on
the outside and the laws

that police were enforcing
would be seen today

as prejudicial towards
that community.

- It took the gay community
to stand up for itself

to finally begin to change
things, but it wasn't easy.

- [Narrator] February 5th,
1981, the relationship between

the community and the police
hit a boiling point brought on

by the enactment
of Project Soap.

- Project Soap was police
raiding suspected bathhouses

looking for illegal activity,

but really it was just
targeting the gay community.

- [Narrator] The
raids are the result

of what the police
claim to be six months

of undercover work looking
into the alleged sex work

and other indecent acts.

Accounts by those witnessing
the raids describe

the police behavior as
extremely hateful and excessive.

- The police smashed property
causing almost $50,000

in damages sending a message.

- [Narrator] In the
end, 286 men are charged

for being in a bawdy house,
another term for a brothel,

and another 20 men are
charged for the operation

of such a space.

While the police insist
their investigation

has uncovered sex work taking
place in these bath houses,

no such incidents are
uncovered by the raids.

- The police action
with Operation Soap
was enough to push

the gay community
to do something.

- [Narrator] This event
marks a turning point

for Toronto's gay community.

The very next night over 3000
people participate in a march

to protest the raids.

- But the protest runs
into a police barricade

of a few hundred officers,
violence breaks out

and the police turned brutal.

In the aftermath of
that violent night,

the gay community would
resolve to change things.

In years to come, Toronto's
pride parade would evolve

from this march.

- [Narrator] It is
one of the oldest

and largest pride
parades in the world.

- So during the 70's and 80's,

there is this tense
battle for rights

and recognition between the
gay community in Toronto

and the police.

This is a reflection
of what's going on

with the larger gay
rights movement.

Also during this period,

more and more gay men
are murdered in Toronto,

these cases are unsolved.

- [Narrator] Even into the
2010's half of these cases

remain unsolved.

The police are criticized
for their sluggish response

to these kinds of
murders and attacks.

- In 1995, one of these murdered
men is Dennis Joseph Colby.

- [Narrator] Dennis lives alone

in the East York
neighborhood of Toronto.

He's a community
minded individual
working to get involved

and make the city
a better place.

- By 1995, Toronto's
gay community had grown.

There was a thriving club scene,

but it was very much
relegated to that area,

people were out but
not as out as today.

- [Narrator] For
most of the 1970s,

he's a trustee for the
Toronto School Board.

His platform during the
school board election period

is built on improving the
curriculum for children

with learning disabilities.

- Those who work with
Dennis describe him

as extremely friendly.

- [Narrator] His
excitement over the details

of programs like how many
people might have enrolled would

excite him to the point
that he would work late

into the night and make calls

to the school board
chairperson to talk it all out.

- By all accounts, Dennis is a
really kind and energetic man

who's sincere in
making a difference.

But of course there's the fact
that he's an openly gay man

at a time when society
still wasn't that inclusive.

- [Narrator] The discovery
of Dennis's body kicks off

a homicide investigation.

Tracing his movements
it is believed

that the last time Dennis
is seen alive is in

the morning of September 9th,
between 10 and 11:00 a.m.

During this time, he goes
on one of his regular visits

to see his mother.

This date matches with what
police believe to be the time

of Dennis's death.

The condition in how the body
is found in this case, Dennis

that is left on the floor, can
today give a fairly accurate

assessment as to when
they passed away.

The autopsy using the
injuries sustained

to the body also confirms the
initial investigator's theory

that Dennis has been
beaten to death.

- Investigators know that every
minute that passes is time

the assailant can get
further from the crime.

Memories start to fade and
crime scenes can degrade.

Time is of the essence and
the murder investigation

of Dennis Colby was
already a few days behind.

(intense music)

- [Narrator] Dennis
Joseph Colby is a resident

of Toronto working hard

to make the community
a better place.

His body is discovered only
after a friend makes a call

to the police concerned over
not hearing from him for days.

- A routine wellness check by
police ends up being the start

of a homicide investigation.

- [Narrator] He is last
seen alive three days prior

and believed to have been
beaten to death sometime

after a visit with his mother.

- It's another troubling
murder in the gay community

and as early as the
90's people are starting

to suggest there could be a
serial killer targeting gay men.

- [Narrator] With
Toronto's difficult

and strained history between
police and the gay community,

Dennis's death has the potential

to just be another case in a
long list of gay men killed

with their murders
left unsolved.

- Police canvassing from door
to door can be a huge help

to any investigation,
although sometimes people

aren't always accurate,
they can be unreliable

and even withhold information

because they don't
want to get involved

this hinders a
murder investigation.

- [Narrator] Interviews
with Dennis's neighbors lead

to a paranoia in the building
with one neighbor telling

the press how shocked they are

that this could happen
in their quiet building.

- But sometimes that one line
in a detective's notebook,

a recollection or name can
advance the investigation.

- [Narrator] Soon into
their investigation,

the police discover
a possible identity

to their mystery assailant.

- Even years later, a detective
single note can break a case

because they took the time
to make exceptional efforts

in their note keeping.

- Various neighbors and
people recall seeing going

from the apartment, not Mr.
Colby, a man that was younger,

considerably younger than
Mr. Colby at the time.

- [Narrator] A break in the
case comes when police learn

a man was staying with Dennis.

- But he would be
known to take in people

and let them stay at his house,

and live with him
for periods of time

and that was fairly
common for him.

He didn't go to clubs, he
didn't go out and party

in nightclubs and
go to the bar scene,

that wasn't his thing.

- [Narrator] This
man is believed to be
somewhere between 25

and 30 years old.

He's clean shaven,
five foot five tall,

and has short light brown hair.

- He was known to
take in and associate

with they were called street
people back in the day

in the 80's and 90's.

They lived on the street,
they really had no home,

now they're homeless or
unhoused or various terms

that we use.

- [Narrator] The
investigation reveals

that a man had been
living with Dennis on

or before September 7th.

There is speculation that
he may have met Dennis

through a newspaper
advertisement put out looking

for companionship, though
this is never confirmed.

- He took people in, they
stayed, people came and went,

but nobody really
knew who they were,

there was no names
attached at the time.

- [Narrator] The police
learn that this man is known

to smoke crack cocaine
and frequents hostels

throughout Toronto.

One potential lead that
comes out of these talks

is that a neighbor heard
a noise that is believed

to be around the time
of Dennis's murder.

- One neighbor recalled
hearing an argument a couple

of days prior to the
murder being discovered.

- [Narrator] This man appears
to be the only suspect

in the case.

If he lives with Dennis
he had ample opportunity,

but so much comes
down to speculation.

- Hearsay are out
of court statements

that are inherently
inadmissible.

A case can't be
based on hearsay,

you need actual
evidence to corroborate

the hearsay evidence,

otherwise it's just
unsubstantiated rumors.

- There was a sketch artist

that actually prepared a
composite of the person

that was seen because
there was no evidence,

it was simply a person that
they wanted to speak to

that person wasn't
named as a suspect

or a person of
interest at the time,

it was simply that
may have information,

or they may know more
information about Mr. Colby

and about who was there.

So it was a person they wanted
to speak to in an interview,

they never found that person.

- [Narrator] But in the
end, little more information

is generated by the sketch.

- Closed circuit television
wasn't as common as it is today,

nor was social media,
online messages

or even cell phone records.

Today these would
lead investigators
down a digital trail,

such technology wasn't
available at the time.

A transient moving about in
1991 can simply disappear.

- The investigators
at the time did

a thorough investigation, they
did everything they could.

They collected the
evidence from the scene,

they did the examination
of the evidence,

they interviewed friends,
they interviewed family,

they interviewed neighbors.

Now with today's
technology through DNA,

or even fingerprint technology

because it's now done in a
lot more efficient manner,

it's not a person physically
comparing prints by eye,

we now utilize
computer generations

and they get analyzed
very, very quickly

through a computer program
as opposed to looking

for specifics by a
fingerprint examiner.

They're ultimately confirmed
through a fingerprint examiner,

but you narrow it down
through a computer search now.

- DNA is still being developed
as a forensic science

to identify potential
suspects at crime scenes.

Just having DNA from the
crime site leaves you

with a limited
ability to compare

and match potential suspects.

- The Dennis Colby case in
1991 very quickly stalled,

any homicide case
that doesn't appear

to be moving forward
draws criticism.

Family, friends and the
media are always frustrated

to see a murder go unsolved.

- [Narrator] The police
set the case aside

and the search for
Dennis's killer goes cold,

giving the gay community
another reason to feel

that the police just don't care.

- They've interviewed
every person

that they could interview,
they've eliminated everyone

that they know of and
they have nothing more

that they can do to
advance the case.

They've exhausted all the leads,

and that's typically what
happens in cold cases

is there's nothing left to do.

We've done everything there
is that we can possibly do

at this point until new
information comes forward,

and again that can take years.

They're all solvable, all
these cases are solvable.

It's just you need the
evidence to solve it.

And again, people,
there's talk on the street

of who may be responsible,
but that's not evidence

and that's not usable in court.

And you can't...

In Canada, we can't
force people to testify,

we can't force people to
tell us what really happened,

we can't do that there, we
don't have that capability.

We don't have the laws are such

that people do not have
to tell us what they know.

It's not an offense
to not speak.

So if people choose not
to say what they know,

we can't force them to.

We can look at other means to
try and get that information,

but then we have to step
through I'd say different hoops

to try and get there.

So do you have the ability to
utilize an undercover officer

to try and get close to
someone that they will tell you

what they know about a crime?

You could, you could
probably deploy

that in certain situations,
but not all situations.

You have to prove to a judge

that you've exhausted
all other means

that this is the only way you're
gonna get this information

and that is likely going
to lead to an arrest,

or a prosecution of someone

and this is the only
way you can do it.

The possibility is
there with cold cases

and advancements in technology

and unfortunately sometimes
we have to wait it out

and it becomes a waiting game.

(intense music)

- [Narrator] Dennis Joseph Colby

is found dead in his apartment

with the cause of death
being severe injuries

to his head from a beating.

Well, it was clear there was
violence against Mr. Colby

and that he was murdered
in a time before DNA being

available as an
actual police tool,

evidence could only be
gathered for a later time.

The investigation is able to
track his movements enough

to determine what time the
murder could have taken place.

And after interviews,

police set their sights
on a lead suspect.

The suspect is believed
to have lived with Dennis

for at least a short
time before the murder.

And his rumor drug use
pushes the police further

in that direction.

But after a short time when
the suspect isn't found

and the leads run dry, the
investigation goes cold.

- What happens in cold cases

is there's nothing left to do,

we've done everything there
is that we can possibly do

at this point until new
information comes forward.

- There is no universal answer

to what it means when
a case goes cold.

There are many cases where there
just isn't enough evidence.

It would be misleading to
say there is never a case

where personal biases are
capable of getting in the way.

Case like this is unusually
complicated, it may involve

opening up many other
similar unsolved murders.

It reignites many
similar cold cases

and that will draw the public's
attention without doubt

that the police are
feeling this too.

- [Narrator] Through
the next 15 years,

the number of gay
men who are killed

or go missing in Toronto
continues to rise.

- By the 2000's, 10 years
after Dennis is murdered

there's a shift
in social attitude

which changes
policing approaches.

Police forces reflect
society, it's just a fact.

- [Narrator] The antiquated laws

that made gay sex illegal
were not only dropped,

but same sex gay marriage
was on the horizon

in no small part to things
like the pride parade showing

society that gay people
were demanding respect

and acknowledgement.

The LGBTQ + community
wasn't going away.

The Dennis Colby case still
cold was now however part

of a larger public
focus, mainstream media

were now beginning to
bring more and more light

to how many unsolved murder
cases involving gay men were

in Toronto.

One such man is Skandaraj
Navaratnum last seen

in the evening of
September 6th, 2010

when he is leaving a local
nightclub with an unknown man.

The nightclub is located near
Church and Carlton Street

and the proximity to Toronto's
gay village continues

to build the community's
fear for their own safety.

- When there is a disappearance,

it's unknown what is
going to be helpful,

or who might have information.

The collection of
information is crucial.

Depending on the circumstances,
the police always interview

the last people who saw the
missing person or they will talk

to their closest
friends and family.

- [Narrator] Numerous interviews
take place with friends,

family, and acquaintances,
including a man

who had previously dated
Skandaraj on and off.

The missing person's
case eventually comes

to a dead end.

Years pass with very
little movement on the case

with Skandaraj looking
just like another gay man

like Dennis Colby
and so many others

that the Toronto
police have failed.

- Eventually the police catch
a break when they come across

the internet forum
known as Zambian Meat.

- [Narrator] The forum
is looking for people

to talk on subjects
of cannibalism.

One participant with a
username, Chefmate50 catches

the attention of
police with his claim

of having killed and eaten
a man in Toronto in 2012.

- It's all very weird, an
online site about cannibalism,

but so is the fact that so
many gay men are missing,

whether it's fantasy
or delusion or not,

the police are taking it
seriously and investigating.

- The police are able to trace
Chefmate50's real identity

and put together a task force

to investigate this man
as the prime suspect.

- [Narrator] This part of the
investigation comes to an end

after learning that Chefmate50's
claims have been a work

of fantasy, he never did
kill or eat any people.

While the police spend three
years looking for Skandaraj,

two more men of similar
descriptions go missing

from Toronto, both of
South Asian descent.

Fear spreads over
the possibility

that a serial killer is
targeting the gay community.

In search of an answer,
the investigation returns

to those close to Skandaraj.

Investigators know that
time can be a benefit,

a person that detectives had
no reason to be suspicious

of at the time of the
crime can be reviewed

to find all kinds of flags
that happened after the fact.

One such person under closer
inspection is Bruce Mcarthur

who is believed to have
been in a relationship

with Skandaraj in
the early 2000's.

- When they take a closer
look at Bruce Mcarthur,

they are shocked by
what they discover.

- [Narrator] Mcarthur is
arrested in 2001 after attacking

a male sex worker with a pipe.

And when brought to trial,
pleads guilty to charges

of assault with a weapon.

- With a history of extreme
violence and the possibility

that he has ignored
his orders to stay away

from Toronto's Gay Village,
Bruce Mcarthur becomes

the new lead suspect.

- In 2016, Mcarthur is
brought in for questioning,

this time police treat
him more like a suspect

than a witness.

But when the interview is over,

police decide they
believe his story.

With judgment coming
from every side,

the police start
feeling the pressure

to solve these cases
as soon as possible.

- [Narrator] Andrew
Kinsman disappears soon

after attending Toronto's
gay pride parade

and this appears to
be the last straw.

This latest incident is enough

to kick off a larger
investigation than
previously done.

They code name this
investigation project,
Prism would bring

together officers from
throughout the force,

including the homicide
and sex crimes units.

- One of the biggest hurdles

was that the disappearances
often involved men

who were meeting on dating apps

where they frequently
met up with strangers.

- [Narrator] Criticism
from LGBTQ+ activists

does not slow down.

Many believe the police

are not taking their
fears seriously enough.

Though the police
counter claiming

that as the community's lack
of involvement and assistance

that is preventing them
from solving these crimes.

They aren't the only community
finding fault in the way

the police are acting,
the executive director

of the Alliance for South
Asian AIDS Prevention openly

questions, why is it
only now that the matter

of missing gay men appears
to be taken seriously?

- With pressure coming
from every side,

the police must crack this
case as soon as possible.

Thankfully, they
finally catch a break.

A major clue is found while
looking into Andrew Kinsman.

On June 26th, 2017,
Andrew's calendar is marked

with a name Bruce.

- [Narrator] After this
surveillance footage surfaces

that reveals Kinsman
getting into a car

that police are able to
trace back to Bruce Mcarthur,

it's a break that police
hope could lead to solving

the missing persons
case of Andrew Kinsman

and maybe even more.

(intense music)

Dennis Joseph Colby is murdered
in his own Toronto apartment

in September of 1995.

The investigation is able
to trace his movement

to the day he died and sets
its sights on a main suspect.

- But when this transient
person of interest isn't found,

the case is shelved
and goes cold.

- [Narrator] Time passes and
more gay men are either killed,

or go missing in
the Toronto area

with few arrests ever made.

- Many believe the police

are not taking their
fears seriously.

The police counterclaim that
it is the community's lack

of involvement and assistance
that is preventing them

from solving these crimes.

- With judgment coming
from every side,

the police start
feeling the pressure

to solve these cases
as soon as possible.

- [Narrator] Skandaraj
Navaratnum is one such man,

and after years of searching,

the police narrowed their hunt.

Bruce Mcarthur, a man who
once had a relationship

with Navaratnum is
discovered to have a history

of violently attacking
at least one gay man.

Navaratnum could have
gotten the same treatment.

In 2016, Mcarthur is brought
in again for questioning.

- This time police treat
him more like a suspect

than a witness.

- [Narrator] But
Mcarthur is released

when officers feel
his story checks out.

It would be another missing
gay man, Andrew Kinsman

that would bring the police
right back to Mcarthur.

June 26th, 2017 on
Kinsman's calendar is marked

the name Bruce.

- The investigation is
able to trace his movements

and focuses on Mcarthur as
a person of high interest.

- [Narrator] Investigators
also find surveillance footage

placing Mcarthur
with the victim.

- This new evidence is
enough to get a warrant

to keep Bruce under
24 hour surveillance.

Officers watching are instructed
to arrest him immediately

if he is seen alone with anyone.

- [Narrator] It's January
18th, 2018 when Mcarthur

is seen bringing a man
into his apartment,

police immediately act.

- Investigators forcibly
enter Bruce's home,

he's found inside and arrested.

- [Narrator] The man
seen going inside is tied

to Mcarthur's bed, his head
is in a bag with no holes

to breathe and his mouth is
taped shut from all appearances,

he was likely to be Bruce
Mcarthur's newest victim.

While searching Mcarthur's
home, they find a USB drive.

- Inside the drive investigators
find folders containing

the names of Bruce's victims.

Inside the folders are
images of the bodies

of these victims in some
cases dressed in furs or hats.

This proves to be the nail

in the coffin in the case
against Bruce Mcarthur.

- [Narrator] What becomes very
clear in the investigation

is that a serial killer
has been loose in the city

of Toronto for many years.

- You can commit one murder
and never get caught.

You do two and and
you get confident,

you do three and you're
even more confident

and you start to trip yourself
up with your overconfidence

and thinking, oh, I'm
not gonna get caught.

And you can talk your
way out of anything

because I was able to do it
before, I didn't get caught,

I didn't get caught,
I didn't get caught.

- [Narrator]
Because of the links

and the presumed modus operandi
of these disappearances

and Dennis Joseph Colby's case,

his is one of many
cases that are reopened,

the largest factor connecting
the cases are their sexuality.

- When that arrest came again,
there were a lot of questions

about all these other men
that had been murdered

in the 80's and the
90's that were gay,

were they related
to Bruce Mcarthur?

We had a number of gay men
that were murdered in Toronto

that were unsolved and
Dennis Colby of course

was one of them.

But I had already had
been looking at that case

from our perspective of
the Never Give Up project

that we're working.

So with the Mcarthur
happening at that time,

what really happened was
that gave us a little push

to get the DNA and get the
examinations done right away.

So even though they were
already sitting in the center

of forensic science
to be analyzed,

they were now pushed
a little bit quicker

to get that in, analysis
done, do the examination

and get it done to either
include or eliminate them

from being related
to Bruce Mcarthur.

- DNA testing takes
up time, resources

and it's an expensive
tool option.

- When I started
the cold case unit

and actually even before
going into the cold case unit,

I started working a lot with DNA

and doing the
forensic phenotyping

and doing various other
DNA related investigations,

and exposing our cold
cases to new technology.

We're dealing with
crime scene samples,

we're not dealing with
123andMe or Ancestry

where they send me a test
tube and I give them a sample

of my saliva and they analyze
it for my genealogy links.

These are crime scene samples.

They can be mixtures
of multiple DNA,

they can be degraded DNA.

They're not a full fresh
sample like me sticking a swoop

in my mouth and giving
them a fresh sample

and getting that DNA.

You're dealing with things
that have been stored,

and that have been
around for a long time.

So you're not always getting
the best quality of a sample

that we're giving
to them to analyze.

- If it turns out to be a match,

not only can our cold
case be put rest,

but the evidence
used can be used

to build a stronger case
against this suspect.

- [Narrator] Cold case
investigators begin running DNA

through Canada's National
Data Bank in hopes

of finding Dennis
Joseph Colby's killer.

- First thing is run all
fingerprints through the system,

make sure they're on the
database and compare 'em now.

There may have been somebody

that had never been
fingerprinted back
until the year 2000

and never compared, so
that was the first step.

The second step was
look at any evidence,

either submit it
for the first time,

or resubmit it to the
Center of Forensic Science

for a new DNA analysis to see
if they can glean anything new

from what they couldn't before

or if it had never been there
try and obtain a DNA profile

from evidence that is
again related to the crime.

- [Narrator] Cold case
detectives know the chances

of Mcarthur's DNA being at
Joseph Colby's crime scene

is low, but it's
still worth knowing.

- A number of items
from the crime scene

that got put on the list and
we're waiting and waiting.

- [Narrator] Bruce
Mcarthur's DNA is not found

in the evidence submitted.

- It never came up,
he wasn't known to any

of the the cold case
victims that we had,

so the possibility
would only come in terms

of if there was DNA evidence
that was going to link him

to those crimes.

- [Narrator] But investigators
are still hopeful

that a match will be found.

(intense music)

By January 29th, 2018,
Bruce Mcarthur is charged

with the murders of five men.

Before his case goes to trial,

the investigation search his
homes where Mcarthur stored

his landscaping equipment.

They uncover body
parts belonging

to at least three
more people inside

of the two large planters
outside of his home.

These new victims are
identified including

Skandaraj Navaratnum.

Mcarthur's trial begins
on January 29th, 2019,

he is charged with eight
counts of first degree murder.

- Mcarthur pleads guilty to
all eight counts of murder.

He is sentenced
to life in prison

with no possibility of
parole for 25 years.

- [Narrator] A serial
killer who targets gay men

is taken off the streets
and more than that,

it is a first step in
the police repairing

the strained relationship
with the community.

- I went back and I was
asked to look at any murders

that involve gay men going
back into the 70's, 80's, 90's,

and see if any of those were
related to Bruce Mcarthur.

- [Narrator] But with
Mcarthur ruled out,

it still leaves the question
as to who is responsible

for Dennis Joseph
Colby's murder.

- When homicide cases
are investigated

by homicide investigators,
they turn over every rock,

they look at everything.

His name didn't appear in
any of these case files,

there was no connection to
him in any of these case files

from the historic ones
that were cold cases,

it never came up.

He wasn't known to any of the
cold case victims that we had,

his name never appeared.

With the Mcarthur
happening at that time,

been looking at that
case from our perspective

of the Never Give Up project
that we were working.

What really happened was
that gave us a little push

to get the DNA and get the
examinations done right away.

- [Narrator] In
2000, Canada launched

a National DNA Data Bank,

and over the next two decades
grows to contain DNA profiles

from convicted offenders
and crime scenes.

During the time when Bruce
Mcarthur's investigation

is taking place, the Toronto
Police Department submits

evidence from 45 cold
cases to this data bank.

- They were now pushed
a little bit quicker

to get analysis done to either
include or eliminate them

from being related to Bruce
Mcarthur and Dennis Colby

of course was one of them.

What samples we had

or what items we had were
actually beer bottles.

There was a number
of beer bottles

that were part of
the crime scene.

There was beer bottles around,

obviously his toxicology showed
that he had been drinking.

These are items that
were seized in 1995

and we still had
them in storage,

we put 'em in for analysis.

- Reopening the Dennis Colby
case also leads investigators

to realize that Dennis
was murdered several years

before Mcarthur had
moved to the Toronto area

in the late 90's, this
becomes another reason

to rule out Mcarthur.

- Conclusion was Mr. Colby
was in the apartment drinking,

his DNA is on beer bottles and
a second unknown DNA profile

was on other bottles and
Colby's and the unknown were on

at least one bottle together,

so they were at the crime
scene drinking together.

- It's not Bruce Mcarthur

who was drinking
at the crime scene,

there are other potential
matches in the data bank,

so it's not
necessarily a dead end.

- [Narrator] More than 23 years
after Dennis Joseph Colby's

death, his killer is
finally identified.

- It was exciting, very
quickly we found out

that that unknown DNA
profile belonged to someone

that was at the point deceased.

- [Narrator] His killer
is identified as a drifter

who died in 2015.

Because of his death,

his name is never
released to the public.

- He was 26, so he was a
young male fit the description

of the male that was seen coming

and going from
Mr. Colby's house.

He was living on the street,

he was flopping on people's
couches, living where he could.

Alcohol and drugs
were related to him,

he had a history of violence
towards both men and women

in domestic situations
and he fit the description

in the composite sketch
that was done at the time

he actually looked like
that same person as well.

- In April of 2019,
Dennis's family is told

about the circumstances
of his murder

and that his case
is finally closed.

- [Narrator] If not for so
many cold cases being reopened

during the Mcarthur
investigation

and at the ever-growing
DNA database,

Canadian law enforcement
continues to grow.

Dennis Joseph Colby's
case went almost unsolved.

- There's justice
for Dennis Colby

and some sense of closure
for the community.

- I call it resolved 'cause
we don't bring it to trial,

but yeah, it's essentially
solved and we've closed

that case to say
it's done and over

and we know who's responsible.

(intense music)