Up until now most of the evidence and testimony at the Trial has not comes as a surprise to me, with one notable exception...

An unidentified young male (left) with Luka Magnotta, 19th May 2012

On 1st June 2012, Det Sgt. Panagiotis Sarganis, a computer forensics and data retrieval specialist with Montreal Police, Tech Unit, examined a memory card from Luka Magnotta's Sony DSC-W5 digital camera, that had been retrieved from rubbish outside 5720 Decarie Blvd.

Whilst the camera itself was not operational at the time, Det Sgt. Sarganis recovered 505 photographs and 3 raw videos from the memory card, which included several photographs, presumed to have been taken with a self-timer, of Luka Magnotta and an unidentified male resting on a bed (pictured above), which was subsequently dated to 19th May 2012.

Luka Magnotta met the unidentified male via an advertisement on the Craisglist website. During the Trial it was revealed the unidentified male was a Colombian.

The unidentified male, dubbed by many as 'Mr X', also featured in video footage taken by Luka Magnotta on 19th May 2012, prior to taking the photographs.   In the video footage the unidentified young male is filmed gagged, tied-up and snoring on a bed with Luka Magnotta straddling him.  Magnotta is later heard asking the semi-conscious young male: "Are you OK? Are you Ok?"

Disturbingly, at one point Magnotta has an electric saw in his hand whilst the Colombian male was semi-conscious on the bed - this footage was subsequently edited into the opening segment of the 1 Lunatic 1 Ice Pick murder video of Jun Lin that Magnotta uploaded on 25th May 2012.

Luka Magnotta and the unidentified young male are shown on CCTV arriving at Luka's apartment block at 5720 Decarie Blvd on 18th May 2012, meaning the video and pictures were taken sometime after midnight.  The pair are next shown on CCTV leaving 5720 Decarie Blvd at 11.30am on 19th May 2012, with Luka Magnotta holding the young male's arm in a manner as if to steady him.

What I find extraordinary about this video and photographic footage, is that it was taken just six days before the murder of Jun Lin, depicting an encounter which has the hallmark of a rehearsal for subsequent events on 24th-25th May 2012, but yet the significance of this barely seems to have registered in the police investigation and when it was introduced into evidence during the Trial proceedings; at least in the public testimony!

Montreal Police have had knowledge of this mystery young male and his encounter with Luka Magnotta on 18th-19th May 2012 since 1st June 2012.  Det Sgt. Claudette Hamlin, of Montreal Police, testified that despite an exhaustive search Montreal Police have not been able to identify this young male.  Surely, it must have been possible to utilise the power of the net at an earlier stage to identify this male, without compromising the police investigation into the murder of Jun Lin?

When Det Sgt. Sarganis gave his testimony at the Trial, the revelation about Luka Magnotta's encounter with the unidentified young man on 18th-19th May 2012 created quite a stir online, with some pretty wild theories circulating on the net about his identity, the encounter and the Jun Lin murder case; which it has to be said must be regarded as pure conjecture at this stage.   

Based on what is known, there is absolutely no evidence that any harm came to this young man, nor is there evidence to indicate his involvement in any criminality or that he had prior knowledge of the murder of Jun Lin some six days later.

Indeed, I would contend that the circumstantial evidence suggests the encounter between the two men was consensual: based on the fact that Luka Magnotta showed concern for his well-being during the video footage; the young male was seen leaving the apartment block afterwards; and the young man did not report any untoward behaviour, i.e. being drugged against his will.  I also very much doubt Luka Magnotta would have taken such a risk.

Whilst I am somewhat reluctant to join the throng of people banding about speculative theories, it should be noted that there is an underground scene on the internet of men into the more extreme types of bondage and sado-masochistic roleplay scenarios, which includes submissive males willingly being rendered unconscious with sedative drugs.

I am staggered that, as of yet, this young male has not been identified, but until he is and gives his account of the encounter with Luka Magnotta, speculation will be rife about ramifications for the Trial.

Needless to say if anybody reading this genuinely thinks they might know the identity of this male, you know what to do!

16/12/2014 - UPDATE - Magnotta's Defence attorney, Luc Leclair, let slip during the Trial that the Defence knew all along the identity of the hitherto unidentified 'Colombian' male.  Leclair stated that he is a foreign national currently serving a prison sentence (he did not mention in which jurisdiction).  It would appear that the identity of this foreign male was not revealed by the Defence to Montreal police investigators or the Crown prior to the Trial.