Article content continued

Prosecutors in McArthur’s case, meanwhile, sought a “measured” penalty of two consecutive sentences, or 50 years without parole. But Ontario Superior Court Justice John McMahon went with the defence’s recommendation, basing his decision on McArthur’s advanced age of 67 and the fact he decided to plead guilty.

Below is a breakdown of the judge’s sentencing rationale in four recent high-profile cases of multiple murders: McArthur, Bissonnette, Dellen Millard and Elizabeth Wettlaufer.

Bruce McArthur, 67

Pleaded guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder

Sentenced to life without parole for 25 years on Feb. 8, 2019

Photo by Facebook

If McArthur were younger or if he had insisted on submitting the families of his victims to a long, nightmarish trial, McMahon said he would have sided with the Crown, which had called for McArthur to serve two consecutive sentences — a penalty that would have left him unable to apply for parole until the age of 116.

But the presence of those two mitigating circumstances convinced the judge to impose all eight sentences concurrently.

McArthur admitted in court last week to killing and concealing the dismembered remains of eight men in Toronto between 2010 and 2017. His victims were mostly immigrants of Middle Eastern or South Asian descent and members of the city’s gay community.