Stories of Murder in Toronto's Gay Village
Seventy-two-year-old Harley Walker was born in Manchester England and immigrated to Toronto in 1958 where he found employment with the CBC for 30 years. He went missing on October 13, 2006, after meeting a man, David Reid, on an internet gay chat room. The two men exchanged messages, and met for coffee for several months. … Read more
On May 1, 2000, police discovered the body of antique dealer Neil Parker, 49, three days after he had been murdered in his apartment. Residents had called to complaint about a foul odour. His live-in partner, Christopher Partak, 24, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Parker, found in a bathtub at their 77 Maitland … Read more
Fifty-six-year-old Anthony Charles Dowding, a Guyanese-born Canadian, was found dead in his apartment at 200 Wellesley Street East by police after they received an anonymous phone call. Dowding was a gay man who lived alone. He was murdered May 24, 1999 after a “brutal flurry of blows.” A trail of blood leading away from the … Read more
Dr. Stephen Patrick Kirby, 37, died from head injuries after being knocked to the ground and kicked in the head on February 26, 1994. Rendell Junior Gillette, 21, was charged with second-degree murder after Kirby died at St. Mike’s Hospital on March 5, days after the assault. Randall Scott Leach, 24, of no fixed address, … Read more
Apparently, fifty-five-year-old Dennis McDonald inspired such terror in his killer, he was stabbed 10 times. In the back. Then he bled to death. The killer, 19-year-old Guy Simon, was “absolutely thrilled” when he was acquitted of the murder. On December 18, 1989, moving company owner McDonald was attacked by Simon, who was 17 at the … Read more
Allan Charles North, 54, was found murdered seven to ten day after his death on approximately May 3, 1987. North was a hairdresser, and his body was found in the back of his hairdressing salon, the House of North at 398 Dundas St. East. A postmortem examination showed he died of asphyxia. North lived with … Read more
Former Alderman and accountant Donald William Weir died on April 5, 1983. He was found naked in his bathtub with more than 40 injuries. A banana had been shoved in his mouth. Weir, 50, was found by firefighters who had rushed to his apartment in response to a security staff person’s call: a fire alarm … Read more
On Saturday, July 15, 1967, a farmer named Antonio De Freitas found a body in one of his fields near Markham. It was a young man, naked, lying in grass three feet high. The coroner, Dr. Ralph Johns, examined the body where it lay. He said the death “might well be a murder,” the Globe … Read more
Shortly after midnight on Sunday, June 25, 1967, people living in the apartment building at 100 Maitland Street heard a man yelling. The sound came from the 10th floor, through an open door to a balcony. Police later said at least half a dozen people heard him. No one phoned the police. At about 12:45 … Read more
Early on Saturday, January 9, 1965, two youths walked into a service station at Jane Street and Wilson Avenue in North York. They told the night attendant, “We just threw a man into the creek.” The attendant wasn’t sure whether to believe them. They walked off. He called police only after a body had been … Read more
On Wednesday, July 17, 1963, a black convertible carrying two youths went through a police speed trap on Lake Shore Boulevard West. Constable Grenville Dawkins chased it through Long Branch. He later testified that he was suspicious of the car. The driver turned onto a side street, pulled the keys from the ignition and ran. … Read more
At about two in the morning on Wednesday, July 27, 1949, three visitors from Montreal were walking along the boardwalk at Kew Beach, looking for shelter for the night. Ralph Cragg was with Marion Nelson and her brother Herbert. They came upon a man lying motionless by the boardwalk. A young man stepped out of … Read more