Toronto police arrest alleged driver in Christopher Skinner murder

Skinner was run over by an SUV after a late-night altercation

By Xtra Editor Nov 07, 2013, 9:28 AM EST Last updated Nov 07, 2013, 1:45 PM EST

Credit: Xtra file photo

Toronto police have arrested a 23-year-old man who they believe was behind the wheel of an SUV linked to the 2009 killing of Christopher Skinner in Toronto's Entertainment District, according to a CBC news report Nov 7.

Police are charging Agustin Caruso of Etobicoke with second-degree murder.

At a news conference Nov 6, Detective Sergeant Stacy Gallant said Caruso was arrested Nov 6. He is expected to appear in court today, Nov 7. Gallant said police also seized the vehicle involved in the incident, according to a report in The Globe and Mail.

Gallant said there were six people in the vehicle and he believes there could be more arrests.

Eyewitnesses said they saw between two and four men beat Skinner to the ground on Oct 19, 2009, and then drive over him with both the front and rear wheels of a black, four-door SUV with high-intensity lights near the corner of Adelaide and Victoria streets.

Video images of the suspected vehicle were recovered by police from nearby security cameras, but until now police had been unable to identify any suspects in the murder.

In the immediate aftermath of the killing, many of Skinner’s friends in the gay community speculated that the crime may have been hate-motivated.

But last year, police dismissed the possibility that the crime was triggered by hate and decided to instead focus on the theory that the altercation may have started after Skinner accidentally or purposely touched the SUV while hailing a taxi.

To mark the third anniversary last year, the Skinner family increased the existing police reward to $150,000, thanks to donations from friends of the family.

Xtra is following this story.