(John Paul Ostamas in an undated photo has pleaded guilty to three counts of second degree murder in Winnipeg)
APTN National News
WINNIPEG — A man who preyed on some of Winnipeg’s most vulnerable has pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree murder on Tuesday.
John Paul Ostamas, 40, is from the Eabametoong First Nation in northern Ontario. He was arrested last April after a killing spree that left Winnipeg’s homeless population on edge.
Two of the murders were captured on surveillance video, including one behind APTN National News in Winnipeg.
Police warned people on the streets and shelter workers to be careful on the street.
The bodies of Donald Collins, 65, and Stony Bushie, 48, were discovered in downtown back alleys one block apart. Miles Monias, 37, died after he was found beaten inside a downtown-area bus shelter that was set on fire.
Collins’ family said he was homeless and spent time between Winnipeg and Kenora, Ont. Bushie was from Little Grand Rapids First Nation, in northern Manitoba, and Monias – a father of four daughters – was from Garden Hill First Nation, also in northern Manitoba.
Ostamas was a drifter who spent time living in Thunder Bay, Kenora and Winnipeg.
He will be sentenced on June 27th.
More to come..
