APTN National News
WINNIPEG—Jonathan Paul Ostamas allegedly set a downtown Winnipeg bathroom on fire on the same day Winnipeg police say he killed two men in cold blood.
During a press conference Tuesday, Winnipeg police said Ostamas was facing two counts of first degree murder and one count of second degree murder in connection with the killings of of three men, Donald Collins, 65, Stony Stanley Bushie, 48, and Myles Monias, 37. Police said Ostamas allegedly murdered Monias on April 10 in a bus shelter as a result of a “chance encounter.”
Investigators managed to finally catch Ostamas after he allegedly went on a killing spree this past Friday that left Collins and Bushie both dead within a block of each other. Ostamas was charged after being interviewed by police about the murders. Investigators used surveillance footage captured by cameras throughout downtown to track his movements behind hotels and shelters.
According to a timeline released by police, Ostamas allegedly met Collins first sometime early Friday evening. They walked together into a downtown lane where Collins was attacked and “left for dead.” Collins’ body was found at about 12:45 a.m. on Saturday.
A few hours later, at about 9 p.m., Ostamas allegedly met Bushie. APTN surveillance cameras show that a man was leading Bushie in and around a construction site before he was thrown to the ground and beaten. Surveillance video shows a man dragging Bushie to the area of the construction site where he was discovered by a security guard 21 hours later.
That same day, police allege Ostamas also set a downtown bathroom on fire, according to the charge sheet.
The court records show that Ostamas was charged with assaulting a woman on March 2.
Ostamas was also supposed be staying at a recovery home in Kenora, Ont., according to a court order.
Winnipeg police Sup. Danny Smyth said during the press conference that Ostamas lived a very transient life that brought him in and out of Winnipeg over the past 10 years. Smyth said Ostamas has a “violent record for multiple assaults” in the Thunder Bay area dating back to 2002.
Smyth said police are contacting other jurisdictions where Ostamas may have lived or travelled through in the past several years.
“At the time we cannot confirm whether Ostamas has been involved in any other unsolved crime,” said Smyth.
Ostamas is a member of the Eabametoong First Nation in northern Ontario. A band official said he grew up in the community but hadn’t been there for “many years.” The band official said he was raised by a “good family” but his mother is now dead and his father lives in another northern Ontario First Nation.
Ostamas claims on his Facebook page that he lived for a time in the U.S. He also describes himself as a gangster.
More to come
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