Alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur is scheduled to appear in Ontario Superior Court Wednesday morning.Late last year, Justice John McMahon scheduled McArthur’s trial to begin in January 2020. McArthur, 67, is charged with eight counts of first-degree murder in deaths of men, killings alleged to have occurred between 2010 to 2017. McArthur’s court appearance comes just short of a year since he was arrested by Toronto police and charged in the deaths of two men who went missing from the city’s Gay Village in 2017: Andrew Kinsman, 49; Selim Esen, 44. As police continued their extensive investigation over the next few months, they would ultimately charge McArthur in the deaths of six more men, all of whom had connections to the Gay Village: Majeed Kayhan, 58; Soroush Mahmudi, 50; Dean Lisowick, 47; Skandaraj (Skanda) Navaratnam, 40; Abdulbasir Faizi, 42; and Kirushnakumar Kanagaratnam, 37.The remains of all eight victims were discovered on a Leaside property where McArthur had worked as a landscaper. Seven victims remains were found buried in large planters, while the remains of the eighth were located in a forested ravine behind the property during an extensive excavation conducted last summer.Police continue to probe historic cases looking for connections to McArthur but have not announced any to date. The lead homicide detective on the McArthur case has previously said there is nothing to indicate there are more than eight alleged victims.Read more:A timeline of the Bruce McArthur case and the police investigation into the Gay Village killingsFamily angry, tearful at visitation for alleged Bruce McArthur victimUnsealed court documents provide glimpse into early stages of Bruce McArthur investigationWendy Gillis is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and policing. Reach her by email at wgillis@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @wendygillis
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