Chinese student is victim of grisly murder in Canada

The China embassy in Canada confirmed on Friday that the victim of a gruesome killing in Montreal is Lin Jun, a 33-year-old Chinese student from Concordia University.

"We are shocked by this cruel criminal case and want to express our deepest condolences to the victim's family," said Ji Ningfeng, the embassy spokesperson.

Lin was an undergraduate in the faculty of engineering and computer science. He had come to Canada from Wuhan, capital city of Central China's Hubei province, in July 2011.

Picture released on May 31 by Interpol as part of an international wanted list, for Canadian Luka Rocco Magnotta, 29. He is suspected of killing a Chinese student and posting body parts to various locations around Canada.

According to Montreal police, Lin dated 29-year-old Luka Rocco Magnotta, a porn actor who is the prime suspect and now on Interpol's most wanted list.

Lin's family and friends lost contact with him on May 24 and is believed to have been murdered on May 24 or 25 night.

He was last seen in public on May 24, the day before the discovery of a decapitated body in a suitcase outside an apartment. On the same day, two political party headquarters in Ottawa received a hand and a foot, believed to be Lin's.

It is reported that Magnotta allegedly videotaped how he killed Lin by ice pick and later dismembered him. The video, which was posted online, also contained acts of necrophilia. Police said the suspect fled to Europe on May 26.

Ji said the Chinese embassy has called on the Canadian police to speed up investigations and find the criminal as well as take effective actions to protect the safety of Chinese in Canada.

He also called on Chinese in Canada to stay safe and contact the embassy if they encounter difficulties.

Lin is described as "decent and polite" by those who knew him, according to Canadian Press, the country's national news agency.

"I was shocked he seems to be a good man. He is a decent guy," Superintendent Alfredo Hedriana was quoted by the news agency.

"He was a polite, reliable and responsible man," Huang Kankan, the victim's friend in Canada, was also quoted as saying.

Photos on his online album showed that Lin was a fashionable young man.

He last updated his Sina Weibo, a popular Chinese micro-blogging website, on May 16. It has been followed by more than 15,000 Chinese netizens who sent virtual candles and hoped Lin find peace in heaven as of 11pm Saturday.

"I can't stop my body from shaking when I heard about your death! You are so naive to trust someone for a hug again," wrote Fan Ku Cha Zhen Di, who identified himself as Lin's friend when he was in China on Sina Weibo.

"We all want a lot of love from other people to justify our existence. My good friend paid the most painful price pursuing that."

Montreal police have said they believe that Magnotta fled for France based on evidence they found at his apartment and a blog he once wrote about how to disappear.

Police said Magnotta's real name is Eric Clinton Newman and is also known by the alias Vladimir Romanov. They described him as a 1.78-meter white man with blue eyes and black hair, according to an Associates Press report.

chenjia@chinadailyusa.com