Winnipeg police charge man in connection with 3 murders

Jonathan Paul Ostamas was charged with two counts of first degree murder and one count of first degree murder.

(Jonathan Paul Ostamas charged in connection with three killings. Facebook)

APTN National News
WINNIPEG—Winnipeg police have charged a self-proclaimed gangster with killing two men over the weekend and a third man in April, APTN National News has learned.

Jonathan Paul Ostamas was charged with two counts of first degree murder and one count of second degree murder. The charges were confirmed by Ostamas’ lawyer, Greg Brodsky.

Police formally charged Ostmas at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday.

The Winnipeg police service is expected to make the official announcement of the charges at a press conference scheduled for 1 p.m. local time.

Winnipeg used footage from several downtown surveillance cameras to track the suspect linked to the murders of two men whose bodies were found across the street from each other Saturday.

The body of Donald Collins, 65, was found at about 12:45 a.m. Saturday. The body of Stony Stanley Bushie, 48, was found at about 6 p.m. the same day.

Police have also charged Ostamas in relation to the April 10 killing of Myles Monias who was beaten to death at a bus shelter.

According to Ostamas’ Facebook page, he describes himself as a gangster. He also claims to have lived in the U.S.

Winnipeg police previously released images of the suspect that were captured by a surveillance camera from the Quest Inn downtown hotel.

Investigators used surveillance footage from several other cameras to track the suspect’s movements through the downtown area as he passed behind homeless shelters and other downtown hotels.

Surveillance cameras mounted on the outside of the APTN building in downtown Winnipeg captured the final moments of Bushie’s life who was killed shortly after 9:14 p.m. Friday.

The surveillance video shows a man leading Bushie around a construction zone before dragging him to the ground and beating him with a blunt object.

The video shows a man, dressed in a dark-coloured, long-sleeve top and carrying a backpack, dragging Bushie’s limp body to the place where it was later found. Bushie’s body was found 21 hours later by a security guard doing his Saturday evening rounds. The body was found behind a small trailer surrounded by a red pylon, a plank of particle board and a pile of pipes.

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