Timeline of Bruce McArthur case in Toronto

Serial killer Bruce McArthur received concurrent life sentences for the murders of eight men in Toronto’s gay village. This means he won’t be eligible to apply for parole for 25 years, when he is 91.

Here’s a look back at how the case unfolded.

September 16, 2010: Skandaraj Navaratnam, 40, is reported missing. He is last seen on Sept. 6, according to a news release from Toronto police.

December 30, 2010: Abdulbasir Faizi, 42, is reported missing in Peel Region. He is last seen on Dec. 29. His car is later found abandoned in Toronto.

October 25, 2012: Majeed Kayhan, 58, is reported missing. He is last seen on Oct. 14, according to a news release from Toronto police.

November 2012: Project Houston is created to investigate the disappearance of Navaratnam, Faizi and Kayhan.

November 2012-April 2014: Project Houston spends thousands of hours interviewing dozens of witnesses, multiple judicial authorization, community canvasses and computer/online searches.

April 2014: Project Houston closes after 18 months because it fails to return any criminal evidence.

August 2015: Soroush Mahmudi, 50, is reported missing by his family.

January 2016: Kirushna Kanagaratnam, 37, is believed to have been killed on or about Jan. 6. He was never reported missing.

April 2016: Dean Lisowick, 43 or 44, is reportedly seen for the last time checking into the Scott Mission shelter. He was never reported missing.

April 30, 2017: Selim Esen, 44, is reported missing. He is last seen Apr. 16, according to a news release from Toronto police.

June 29, 2017: Andrew Kinsman, 49, is reported missing. He is last seen Jun. 26, according to a news release from Toronto police.

July 28, 2017: Project Prism is created to investigate the disappearances of Esen and Kinsman. Officers work closely with investigators from Project Houston.

September 2017: Bruce McArthur is identified as someone who may have information about the disappearance of Kinsman.

December 8, 2017: Police provide an update on Project Prism, downplaying suggestions there is serial killer in the gay village saying there is no conclusive evidence that any of the men met with foul play but that it cannot be ruled out.

January 18, 2018: McArthur is arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Esen and Kinsman. Police announce they are searching other properties linked to McArthur and believe there are other victims.

January 29, 2018: McArthur is charged with three more counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Kayhan, Mahmudi, and Lisowick.

February 8, 2018: Police identify the remains of Andrew Kinsman. His remains were among at least six people recovered from planters located at a home on Mallory Crescent, where McArthur worked as a landscaper.

February 23, 2018: McArthur is charged with a sixth count of first-degree murder in the death of Navaratnam after police confirm his remains, and those of Mahmudi, have been positively identified.

March 5, 2018: Toronto police release a photo of a dead, unidentified man who they believe is a seventh victim of McArthur. Investigators also announce that a seventh set of human remains had been uncovered in the Mallory Crescent planters.

March 22, 2018: The Toronto police board announces an external review of how Toronto police handle missing persons cases, in the wake of questions about how police handled the McArthur investigation from the outset. Police are already undertaking an internal investigation of missing-persons cases.

April 11, 2018: McArthur is charged with a seventh count of first-degree murder in the death of Faizi, whose remains were among those found in the Mallory Crescent planters.

April 16, 2018: Police identify the deceased man in the photograph as Kirushnakumar Kanagaratnam, and charge McArthur with an eighth count of first-degree murder.

June 2018: Ontario Court of Appeal Justice Gloria Epstein is named to lead an independent review of how Toronto police review missing persons cases.

July 2018: Toronto police return to the Mallory Crescent home and during a nine-day excavation of the forested part of the ravine, human remains are found. They are identified as those belonging to Kayhan.

October 3, 2018: Newly unsealed documents reveal police identified McArthur as a person of interest in Andrew Kinsman’s disappearance as early as Sept. 5 — three months after he went missing. The documents also show police were operating under the assumption that Kinsman was likely killed and that there were similarities between all the missing men.

October 22, 2018: In a rare legal move, McArthur waives his right to a preliminary hearing sending the case straight to trial.

November 30, 2018: Superior Court Judge John McMahon sets January 2020 as the date for the trial to begin against alleged serial killer McArthur.

January 18, 2019: In an interview with CityNews, lead investigator Det.-Sgt. Hank Idsinga says dozens of cold cases are still being reviewed for a possible link to McArthur, however, he adds there is no evidence presently connecting those cases to the alleged serial killer.

January 29, 2019: McArthur pleads guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of missing men connected to Toronto’s gay village, avoiding a scheduled trial in January 2020. He faces an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.

January 30, 2019: Ontario Court of Appeal Justice Gloria Epstein asks to include cases involving serial killer McArthur as part of her independent review of how Toronto police investigated missing persons cases.

February 1, 2019: Toronto police announce Sgt. Paul Gauthier will appear before a police tribunal to be charged with neglect of duty and insubordination dating back to a 2016 incident in which McArthur was arrested but not charged.

February 4, 2019: Sentence hearing begins in the McArthur case. The Crown reads aloud an agreed statement of facts that details the gruesome “planned and deliberate” killing of all eight men.

February 4-5: Family and friends of McArthur’s victims read their victim impact statements in the court, detailing the pain they have suffered with the loss of their loved ones and how their lives have forever changed since the murders.

February 8, 2019: Superior Court Judge John McMahon sentenced McArthur to eight counts of first-degree murder, to be served concurrently.