Sebastien Roy, the man police questioned and then released last month in connection with the investigation into the brutal beating death of Christopher Raynsford, was arrested on Jan 16 and remains in custody facing charges of first-degree murder and the killing of an animal.
Police had issued a Canada-wide warrant for the 24-year Roy in the early morning of Jan 16. He was picked up without incident at a Quebec City café around noon the same day. Police had previously picked up Roy on Jan 9 and then released him.
Police are not saying what evidence was discovered to make the case against Roy and will only say that the information needed came to them the day prior to the arrest. “The break came as a result of a lot of police work, in talking to a lot of people until we got the right break,” lead Investigator Gerry Kinnear told media. Kinnear would not elaborate as to whether a witness came forward with new information, or the evidence came from forensics.
Detectives had released a picture of Roy to the public several days prior to originally picking him up for questioning, the very same photo they were showing throughout the gay community within a day of finding Raynsford’s body.
Raynsford’s body was discovered at his Lisgar St apartment on Dec 4. He hadn’t been seen by friends or co-workers or heard from by family for over a week.
Roy has yet to appear in court, and there has been no preliminary hearing or trial date set in this case. He is scheduled for remand on Feb 14, a procedural process required to keep him in custody.
* With files from Rory MacDonald
ROBBERY CHARGES
Lawrence Pigeon, the 37-year-old Ottawa man charged in connection with a series of robberies that targeted gay men, also remains in custody. Pigeon returns to court for a video remand on Feb 27.
KINGSTON
The investigation continues into the death of Robert Earl LeClair, the gay man whose body was found in his Kingston apartment less than a week before Raynsford’s body was found.
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