Tuesday 3 May 2011

Suspect in the Parkdale bludgeonings apprehended!

From The Globe and Mail

A man has been arrested in connection with a string of assaults targeting mentally disabled residents in Parkdale.
Ricardo Morrison, 32, of Toronto was charged Monday with two counts of assault causing bodily harm in a pair of assaults last month, one in the area of Westlodge Avenue and another in the area of Maynard Avenue and Leopold Street.
"The investigation is ongoing and Ricardo Morrison remains a person of interest in relation to the other similar assaults and the death of George Wass," police said Tuesday.
Mr. Wass, 62, was attacked in front of his Maynard Avenue boarding house in March and died three days later as a result of blunt-force trauma.
A probe by the Toronto police homicide squad focused on the death of Mr. Wass and six similar assaults dating back to January.
Most recently, police allege a victim was walking home around 3 a.m. on Maynard Avenue last month when a suspect attacked him from behind, then punched and kicked him repeatedly before fleeing the scene. The suspect has been known to wear a black balaclava and ride a dark mountain bike without fenders.
At a news conference Tuesday, police did not rule out the possibility there may be other suspects, noting Mr. Morrison’s arrest was the result of evidence coming forward from the community.
"We’re awaiting further evidence from the community to help include or exclude him in the investigation," Inspector Bryan Bott said.
Managers of some Parkdale care homes have warned residents to be vigilant in light of the attacks. Authorities were asking residents with any information to contact police or Crime Stoppers.

From The Toronto Sun

After months of living in fear, Parkdale residents are breathing a sigh of relief after learning there has been an arrest in connection with brutal attacks in their neighbourhood.
A 32-year-old man has been charged with two of the most recent assaults. Police describe him as a person of interest in another five attacks, including the deadly beating of George Wass.
"I’m relieved, but if he’s only responsible for mine and not the others, then that’s not good," Dan Chiarelli, 45, the most recent victim, said Tuesday.
He was shocked to learn the man accused of attacking him is his neighbour. Ricardo Morrison lived a floor below him in a roominghouse on Maynard Ave.
"It’s scary," Chiarelli said. "I don’t even know him."
Two other victims of the savage attacks also resided at 17 Maynard Ave.
One of them, a 47-year-old woman who was the first to be attacked when the recent wave of violence began Jan. 4, has since moved because she was too afraid to stay in the area, other residents said.
Three more victims, including the now deceased 62-year-old Wass, lived across the street at a group home.
"I’m still scared," said one woman, who didn’t give her name as she left that house at 18 Maynard Ave.
"George was such a nice man," she added. "I can’t understand why someone would want to hurt him."
It’s believed the seventh victim, Oriana Dacosta, 45, may live on nearby West Lodge Ave., where she was attacked April. 2.
Ricardo Morrison is accused of assaulting her, as well as Chiarelli.
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Great news!  Hopefully this will put an end to the attacks in Parkdale.  Now let's see how the few details we know about this suspect stack up against my profile of "The Parkdale Bludgeoner"

Profiled Sex/Gender: The UNSUB is a male, and identifies as such.

Suspect's Sex/Gender: The UNSUB is a male, and identifies as such.

Match?: YES

Profiled Age: 17-35

Suspect's Age: 32

Match?: YES

Profiled Race/ethnicity: The UNSUB could be of any racial background... If they are Caucasian, more likely they are of a blue collar immigrant family possibly first or second generation Italian, Greek, Slavic etc

Suspect's Race/ethnicity: Yet to be determined.  Ricardo (Latin) Morrison (Irish) may indicate the suspect is from a mixed cultural background.

Match?: N/A (though if Ricardo does turn out to be rooted in a Mediterranean background, this could potentially support the idea that "If they are Caucasian, more likely they are of a blue collar immigrant family possibly first or second generation Italian, Greek, Slavic etc"

Profiled Residence: The offender either lives and/or works or has ties to Queen and Lansdowne area... His lifestyle will probably not be much different to the naked eye than that of his victims.  He will have a small apartment or basement apartment and very few material items of worth.

Suspect's Residence: He was shocked to learn the man accused of attacking him is his neighbour. Ricardo Morrison lived a floor below him in a roominghouse on Maynard Ave.

Match?: YES

Appearance: Accounts describe the UNSUB as around average height and stocky.  I believe because of his immature Nazi-esque way of thinking, he will be clean cut with short hair.  If he does have facial hair it will be notably groomed or stylized such as a well maintained goatee. 

Suspect's Appearance:



Match?: YES

So far 4/4 (the race prediction was non-applicable)!  Until more information is released about Mr. Morrison's background, we can not confirm the accuracy of the rest of the profile.

3 comments:

  1. Lee, I'm amazed at the profile so far,especially his apt.! Good work.!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you. The gender and age were easy. It will be interesting to see what other information surfaces in the future. The areas were I am not so certain involve his personal history.

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  3. Just added a courtroom sketch of the accused Ricardo Morrison which has allowed me to assess his appearance. Again we have a match. Ol' Redbeard's batting .1000 on this one so far.

    ReplyDelete