Man charged with two counts of first-degree murder after ‘random attacks’ in Toronto

Toronto police have arrested and charged a man after two “random attacks” left a 21-year-old international student and a 35-year-old man dead in recent days.

Richard Jonathan Edwin, 39, was arrested at his home on Sunday and faces two charges of first-degree murder.

Police Chief James Ramer said officers found several loaded firearms and ammunition at the home of the accused. 

The police chief said Kartik Vasudev, a 21-year-old international student from India, was killed after an “unprovoked” attack by a “complete stranger” outside a subway station in downtown Toronto on April 7.

Two days later, Elijah Eleazar Mahepath, 35, of Toronto was shot several times near the intersection of Dundas Street East and George Street before he died in hospital, Ramer said. 

“Our investigators were able to quickly draw a link between the murder of Kartik and that of Elijah,” Ramer told reporters on Tuesday. 

Ramer said the victims were not known to the accused or each other, and he said the arrest prevented a further loss of life. 

He said investigators have seized several firearms, including handguns, rifles, loaded magazines, and other ammunition.

Toronto police detective Sgt. Terry Browne said both victims were people of colour but would not speculate on whether they were targeted based on their background or ethnicity.

“We just don’t have that information,” he said. “But certainly from what we saw any interaction with the shooter and the victims was very, very quick and brief, and we can’t say with certainty whether in fact, he would have been able to see their ethnicity.”

Browne said the accused has no criminal record and was not known to police.

“We are doing a very deep dive on his background right now to find out who this person is, where he’s been, who he’s been associating with,” he said. 

“What we believe at this stage anyways, is that it was what we do describe as random. It was a chance meeting, a chance passing and for reasons that are only known to the suspect, these two people were victimized.”

Chief Ramer said two other random attacks with no connection to the case also took place in Toronto in recent days.

“We have no reason to believe there is an ongoing threat to the public as a result of this series of tragic incidents,” he said. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2022.

Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press