Brian Dickson, accused webcam killer, lands in court
A Toronto man accused of killing a student last seen alive in a struggle on a webcam made his first court appearance Thursday morning.
Wearing a white shirt and jeans during his brief court appearance, 29-year-old Brian Dickson was remanded in custody until April 26. He’s charged with first-degree murder.
Dickson’s court appearance was almost a week after 23-year-old Qian Liu was found dead in her basement apartment, naked from the waist down.
Toronto police have asked media not to publish a photo of the man charged in Liu’s death.
“I think they have made a fairly quick arrest here,” Dave Perry, a former Toronto police homicide detective told CTV’s Canada AM. “Now they have a lot of work to do and they don’t want to compromise the situation.
“They obviously have some very sound reasons to make that request; they have a lot of witnesses to speak to so they don’t want the picture circulating.”
Perry said that although he didn’t want to speculate on the investigation, a first-degree murder charge means that police believe there was forethought.
In an exclusive interview CTV News conducted in China earlier this week, Liu’s boyfriend, who asked to keep his identity concealed, said he witnessed somebody walk into her room and ask for a hug via webcam hours before Liu’s death.
Perry said the boyfriend’s account has likely helped detectives with their investigation.
“At least it gave police some kind of information right from the start,” he said. “Whenever you look at any investigation you are looking for quick breaks and early information in order to hopefully accelerate things to the point where you can make a quick arrest. It would appear that’s what happened on this one.”
Police are waiting the results of toxicology tests after an autopsy failed to show the cause of Liu’s death.
Meanwhile, a student organization at York will be hosting a forum on Thursday to discuss ways to improve safety on campus.
http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110421/qian-liu-arrest-court-appearance-brian-dickson-110421/20110421?hub=TorontoNewHome
The Desk of Brian recommends:
Boy beaten, killed and the body burned: Muslim family blames each other
Gamal Abdou Massoud, Christian student, gets 3 years in prison for cartoons on Facebook
Obi-Wan Kenobi free after hit-and-run arrest
Why I Care About The Death of Trayvon Martin
Real life Weekend at Bernie's lands two Denver men in jail
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Underwear bomber, begins case with outburst
Ivan the Cannibal confesses to making sausage and meatballs from his victims
The Death Penalty: Is It Just?
