Luka Magnotta arrives at Mirabel International Airport in Montreal. Mr. Magnotta faces a preliminary inquiry on March 11, 2013, regarding charges of first-degree murder in the slaying and dismemberment of Chinese-born student Jun Lin last MayMontreal Police
Police have charged the owner of a website that posted a grisly video at the centre of the Luka Magnotta murder case.
Mark Marek, who operates bestgore.com, faces one count of corrupting morals.
Edmonton police allege Mr. Magnotta sent Mr. Marek the video last year and Mr. Marek posted it online knowing it depicted a real killing.
Mr. Magnotta is to stand trial in September, 2014, for the murder and dismemberment of Chinese university student Lin Jun in Montreal last year. Parts of Mr. Lin's body were mailed across Canada in a gruesome killing that made headlines around the world. Mr. Magnotta has pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Marek, who remains in custody, appeared briefly in court on Wednesday and was scheduled to make another appearance on Thursday.
Before he was charged, a statement that appeared on the 38-year-old's website said he was going to meet with police for an interview and expected he might be arrested.
"It may sound strange, but at this point in my life, jail doesn't sound all that unattractive," said the statement. "I wouldn't mind taking a break from the world ... I've dedicated my life to fight against Evil and Lies, and I know that God and Truth are on my side.
"I do not fear the servants of Satan. One way or another, my life will end one day, and so will theirs."
Staff Sgt. Bill Clark of the Edmonton homicide unit said the investigation was long and complex because Mr. Marek was "very elusive," with no home address and had been out of the country.
He said he does not believe Edmonton police have ever laid such a charge before. It carries a maximum two-year prison term.
Staff Sgt. Clark said investigators did not originally have the evidence they needed to charge Mr. Marek. The staff sergeant explained that police needed evidence of three things before they could do so: that Mr. Marek knowingly and willingly posted the video, that he did so while in Canada and that he was the site's owner and operator at the time.
Last week, Mr. Marek landed in Vancouver. Officers with the Canada Border Services Agency seized his computer equipment at the airport and notified Edmonton police. He was then allowed to continue his flight to the Alberta capital.
Staff Sgt. Clark said police kept in touch with him over the following days by e-mail. He was not living anywhere other than in his car. Still needing evidence to build a case, investigators asked Mr. Marek if he would be interviewed. He agreed to go in on Tuesday and police charged him after that.
"I can say that he's a very different individual. He has some thoughts that a lot of our investigators were shaking their heads at."
The website opens with a content warning and advertises that it is for adults only. "Videos and images posted on Best Gore are bloody, gut wrenching, teeth grinding, offensive and upsetting. Just as the life itself," it says. "Best Gore exposes the truth about the humans as a whole and the truth is not always nice."
The website also says it has been reviewed by both Canadian and U.S. lawyers and is "100 per cent legal in both jurisdictions."
In May, 2012, the site posted a video that showed a person being stabbed and dismembered.
The video stayed online for eight days. After Mr. Magnotta's arrest, Mr. Marek told The Canadian Press in an e-mail that he removed the video once police identified Mr. Magnotta as a suspect.
Staff Sgt. Clark said the investigation into Mr. Marek and his website began at that time, but it was difficult to track him down. Officers contacted government and private agencies and businesses, but all had Mr. Marek listed with just an Edmonton post office box.
It took investigators until February to find him, but police still did not have enough evidence to lay charges, Staff Sgt. Clark said. Mr. Marek then travelled to Hong Kong and police put out alerts trying to locate him.
He updated his website regularly while on the road, Staff Sgt. Clark said.
Officers have flown to Vancouver with warrants for Mr. Marek's computer equipment. Staff Sgt. Clark said the suspect could face additional charges, including hate crime offences, related to other items on the website.
He described the site as racist and disturbing, with "violence above and beyond anything normal." It is also unsettlingly popular, with as many as 10 million viewers, Staff Sgt. Clark said.
He said he does not think police have the authority to shut down the website unless Mr. Marek is convicted in court.