Police seek three in Magill murder

Victim likely a customer of convicted murderer Richard Sheridan


There is new information in the almost three-year-old investigation into the murder of gay interior designer Ross Magill.

Magill was stabbed to death on July 14, 2008, in the foyer of his apartment near St Clair Ave and Yonge St in Toronto.

“I believe that there were three males involved,” Det Sgt Dan Nielsen told Xtra on April 4. “It is possible that two of the suspects may not have known the third was going to kill Ross, so I would say the role of two of the suspects is not clear. I would ask the two suspects, if they had no involvement in this crime, to contact me directly, or through a lawyer.”

Xtra spoke previously with several of those who knew Magill, some of whom saw him in the days before his death. Those sources reveal that Magill used crack cocaine regularly in the last months of his life. He also reportedly kept company with several hustlers, some of whom were crack users and dealers. Magill reportedly relied on one well-known street dealer, and his associates, for his supply.

According to sources, two of those men are known as “the twins,” or individually as “Matt” and “Jeff.” The two were reportedly associates of Richard Sheridan, a crack dealer who operated out of a trailer near the foot of the Don Valley. Sheridan is serving a life sentence for his part in the high-profile 2008 murder of Andre Pelliccione. Pelliccione was beaten to death five weeks after Magill was killed.

One source told Xtra that “when Magill was killed, I had some of the crack addicts warn me about [Sheridan]. They all thought he was involved.” According to the same source, Sheridan was “doing gay-for-pay” and Magill was a customer. The source says Sheridan was at Magill’s home the day before the murder.

When asked to confirm those details, Neilsen says police can’t prove Sheridan is directly connected to Magill’s murder, but they are looking at his crew and associates. Police are also looking for additional forensic and eyewitness evidence.

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