Salta recalled that a frightened Magnotta first contacted him in December 2010 or early January 2011 over concerns police were closing in on him amid a swirl of animal-cruelty accusations.
At the time, animal-rights activists were already publicly accusing Magnotta of killing kittens in videos posted on the Internet — allegations he denied in a newspaper interview.
The Canadian Press obtained several emails Salta said he received from Magnotta over the weeks that followed their first meeting. All are dated from January 2011, more than a year before Lin’s death.
“I believe he denied intentionally harming any animal,” said Salta, who also met Magnotta in person three or four times.
“He just kept saying, ‘I like animals, I like animals, I like animals — I wouldn’t intentionally do anything to hurt an animal.’
But when it came to accusations against Manny, Salta says Magnotta was categorical.
In one email dated Jan. 6, 2011, Magnotta listed 42 abuses allegedly administered by Manny — many in graphic detail. He said he was subjected to bondage and torture.
The lawyer wasn’t even convinced that Manny existed, though he said he had the feeling Magnotta, a porn actor originally from Scarborough, truly believed the abuses had occurred.
“Whether or not they actually happened is another story,” he said, noting how at one point Magnotta had discoloration near one eye that he blamed on Manny.
Magnotta also sent Salta a photo that purportedly shows marks and bruises on his face.
Salta said Magnotta turned down his offers to help him file a complaint against Manny.
Magnotta wrote in another email that he was considering turning himself in after the animal-cruelty allegations surfaced on the Internet.
He wrote how he would want “protective custody” if he were ever sent to a detention facility, such as New York City’s Rikers Island. He even provided Salta with his mother’s phone number, just in case he was arrested.
Police did not have any arrest warrants at the time for Magnotta. There have been no reports of him being charged with animal abuse. The Toronto police force, however, has confirmed it began investigating Magnotta in February 2011 after it received animal-cruelty complaints.
Salta said Magnotta asked him to go public with his accusations against Manny if something ever happened to him.
“He wanted the story of his abuse made known if it’s at all relevant to anybody,” said Salta, who described Magnotta as very friendly but someone who showed little emotion.
Meanwhile CBC News reports that Jun Lin’s grieving mother says her son’s death has shattered her view of Canada.
Zhigui Du, who arrived in Montreal last month, says she now lives in fear and sometimes feels everyone she passes on the street looks like her son’s killer.
She adds that her son’s slaying has drastically altered her view of Canada, from a welcoming place that accepts immigrants to a place where “this heinous crime happened. It’s made me reconsider what kind of place this is.”
She also told the CBC that she doesn’t think Magnotta and her son had been in a relationship, but the truth will come out during the trial.
Lin’s parents said they are now trying to decide whether to put their son’s remains to rest in Montreal, a city their son loved, or take them back to China.
“We Chinese have an old saying: ‘Fallen leaves must go back to the root of the tree,’ ” she said.
Also on the Star:
Accused killer to face preliminary hearing in 2013
Luka Rocco Magnotta’s extradition to Canada called ‘exceptional’E
At the time, animal-rights activists were already publicly accusing Magnotta of killing kittens in videos posted on the Internet — allegations he denied in a newspaper interview.
The Canadian Press obtained several emails Salta said he received from Magnotta over the weeks that followed their first meeting. All are dated from January 2011, more than a year before Lin’s death.
“I believe he denied intentionally harming any animal,” said Salta, who also met Magnotta in person three or four times.
“He just kept saying, ‘I like animals, I like animals, I like animals — I wouldn’t intentionally do anything to hurt an animal.’
But when it came to accusations against Manny, Salta says Magnotta was categorical.
In one email dated Jan. 6, 2011, Magnotta listed 42 abuses allegedly administered by Manny — many in graphic detail. He said he was subjected to bondage and torture.
The lawyer wasn’t even convinced that Manny existed, though he said he had the feeling Magnotta, a porn actor originally from Scarborough, truly believed the abuses had occurred.
“Whether or not they actually happened is another story,” he said, noting how at one point Magnotta had discoloration near one eye that he blamed on Manny.
Magnotta also sent Salta a photo that purportedly shows marks and bruises on his face.
Salta said Magnotta turned down his offers to help him file a complaint against Manny.
Magnotta wrote in another email that he was considering turning himself in after the animal-cruelty allegations surfaced on the Internet.
He wrote how he would want “protective custody” if he were ever sent to a detention facility, such as New York City’s Rikers Island. He even provided Salta with his mother’s phone number, just in case he was arrested.
Police did not have any arrest warrants at the time for Magnotta. There have been no reports of him being charged with animal abuse. The Toronto police force, however, has confirmed it began investigating Magnotta in February 2011 after it received animal-cruelty complaints.
Salta said Magnotta asked him to go public with his accusations against Manny if something ever happened to him.
“He wanted the story of his abuse made known if it’s at all relevant to anybody,” said Salta, who described Magnotta as very friendly but someone who showed little emotion.
Meanwhile CBC News reports that Jun Lin’s grieving mother says her son’s death has shattered her view of Canada.
Zhigui Du, who arrived in Montreal last month, says she now lives in fear and sometimes feels everyone she passes on the street looks like her son’s killer.
She adds that her son’s slaying has drastically altered her view of Canada, from a welcoming place that accepts immigrants to a place where “this heinous crime happened. It’s made me reconsider what kind of place this is.”
She also told the CBC that she doesn’t think Magnotta and her son had been in a relationship, but the truth will come out during the trial.
Lin’s parents said they are now trying to decide whether to put their son’s remains to rest in Montreal, a city their son loved, or take them back to China.
“We Chinese have an old saying: ‘Fallen leaves must go back to the root of the tree,’ ” she said.
Also on the Star:
Accused killer to face preliminary hearing in 2013
Luka Rocco Magnotta’s extradition to Canada called ‘exceptional’E
