The baby-faced cannibal: Early pictures of a fresh-faced, innocent-looking Eric Newman, years before he grew up to become 'cannibal killer'



Aunt of cannibal killer suspect brands him a 'nut job' and 'time bomb'

Hollywood legend Walken played serial killer Vince Magnotta who is addicted to butchering his victims in 1996 adventure game

Luka Magnotta is alleged to have butchered his lover before eating parts of the body and sending others to the offices of Canadian political parties

Posing harmlessly for the camera in a traditional yearbook photo, an 11-year-old Eric Newman looks like any other fresh-faced schoolboy.

The school photo of a youthful Newman from 1993 gives no indication of how he would grow up to become the suspected 'cannibal killer' accused of slaying his gay lover and eating his flesh with a knife and fork.

The pictures of a young Newman - who grew up to become Luka Magnotta - emerged as one of his aunts claimed the 29-year-old is a 'nut job' who was a 'time bomb waiting to explode'.

Fresh-faced: Eric Newman, pictured left in a yearbook photo from 1993, and right in a later formal photograph, looked like any other normal schoolboy growing up

Magnotta, a gay porn star, is alleged to have butchered his lover before eating parts of the body and sending others to the offices of Canadian political parties. He was arrested at a Berlin internet cafe on Monday.



Canadian 'Cannibal killer' suspect Magnotta is also believed to have been inspired by a violent video game starring Christopher Walken as a futuristic serial killer called Vince Magnotta who is addicted to butchering his victims.

Hollywood actor Walken starred in the 1996 video game Ripper, a gruesome adventure which sees a brutal serial killer terrorising New York in the year 2040.



Chilling: 'Canadian cannibal' suspect Luka Magnotta in an image from his own website. He is believed to have been inspired by a video game starring Christopher Walken as a serial killer addicted to butchering his victims

The game can have a number of different endings depending on the path the player follows and although the Vince Magnotta character is ostensibly a police officer investigating the murders, one outcome sees him as the 'Ripper'.

The game begins with the serial killer sending an email to a newspaper saying he is addicted to butchering his victims.

In a chilling similarity, Luka Magnotta, who changed his name from Eric Clinton Newman in 2006, is understood to have sent an email to a British newspaper in which he wrote: 'I can't stop killing'.

Video nasty: Hollywood legend Christopher Walken starred in the 1996 game Ripper as a serial killer addicted to butchering his victims



He is currently awaiting extradition after being arrested in Berlin on Monday on suspicion of killing Chinese student Jun Lin, 33.



The university student’s torso was found in the apartment while parts of his body were posted to political offices in Ottawa, including the prime minister’s party headquarters.

A ten minute videotape purporting to record the horrific crime was posted online, showing a man stabbing his naked and bound victim with an ice pick.

The attacker then hacks him to pieces and eats part of his flesh. He is also seen performing sexual acts on the corpse.

Inspiration? Although the Walken's character Vince Magnotta character is ostensibly a police officer investigating the series of murders one outcome of the game sees him as the 'Ripper' killer himself

Similarities: The game begins with the killer sending an email to a newspaper saying he is addicted to butchering his victims. Luca Magnotta is understood to have sent an email to a British newspaper saying: 'I can't stop killing'



One member of the investigative team said the murderer ‘tears the victim apart like a doll’.

The video, entitled One Lunatic, One Ice Pick, was set to the soundtrack from American Psycho, earning the suspect the nickname Canadian Psycho.



Cops were last night examining two messages Luka is alleged to have sent along with a severed hand and foot to schools in Vancouver just before he fled to Europe.

Asked about parallels with the game, Montreal Police Commander Ian Lafrenière admitted: 'There are lots of similarities there.'

Interview: Magnotta appears on pay-per-view website Naked News in 2007 boasting about being a rent boy with up to nine clients a day The whereabouts of the victim's head is still unknown with some suggesting it could have been sent to the UK. However this has been dismissed as unlikely by cops. Detectives are also investigating the possibility that Magnotta was working with an accomplice.

Officers are currently scouring CCTV footage from the Montreal post office to determine if Magnotta sent the parcels to the schools himself.

He was reportedly spotted in Paris with another Canadian man before his arrest in Germany and a video of him torturing animals was filmed by a third party.

A recent video of Magnotta which police believe he filmed before going on the run last week has been posted online.

Mugshots: Magnotta is currently awaiting extradition after being arrested in Berlin on Monday. Detectives are investigating the possibility that he was working with an accomplice

It shows him smoking a cigarette saying: 'Hi to all my fans', as a Madonna track plays in the background.



Magnotta worked as a bisexual porn star and a gay prostitute called Angel and often dresses as a woman.

In an interview filmed for pay-per-view website Naked News in 2007, Magnotta is seen wearing see-through trousers and boasting about being a rent boy with up to nine clients a day.





