EDMONTON–A residential garage gaining worldwide fame as the site of an alleged movie-inspired murder has become a drive-by shrine for the morbidly curious.

Rubberneckers in cars and on foot have been inching past the white detached structure in the city's south end since aspiring local filmmaker Mark Twitchell was arrested on Halloween and charged with first-degree murder.

"There are people going by looking in. They're going quite slow," said Lynda Warren, who lives next door to the double-car structure surrounded by junk, a fallen fence and, now, criss-crossed yellow police tape.

Police allege 38-year-old John Altinger was killed three weeks ago in a manner mirroring the plot of a movie Twitchell, 29, had just filmed, in which the victim is lured by the promise of an Internet date, tortured for his computer codes, murdered and chopped into pieces.

Yesterday, police said they have located a man who was allegedly lured to the garage on Oct. 3, a week before Altinger disappeared. In a statement, police said the man contacted them on Sunday and investigators have interviewed him. The statement said he "may have been lured by a similar online ad prior to Altinger, but managed to escape."

The body of Altinger, originally from White Rock, B.C, has not been found.

Twitchell, a married father of two, did not appear in court yesterday as scheduled. He is set to come before a judge tomorrow to enter a plea. None of the allegations against him have been proved in court.

Police say the crime has thematic links to the TV show Dexter, which they say Twitchell idolized. The program on the U.S.-based Showtime network focuses on Dexter Morgan, who studies blood spatters for Miami police by day and psychotically hacks up evildoers vigilante-style by night.

Police allege Altinger was killed after being lured to the garage Oct. 10 by someone pretending to be a woman online and asking him out on a date. They wouldn't say yesterday whether they believe the alleged killing was filmed.

They also declined comment on reports Twitchell's production company – Xpress Entertainment – ordered online a telescopic stun baton capable of delivering 800,000 volts to a victim.

"It's very upsetting to think a poor man lost his life. That's what you keep thinking," Warren said.

"And I guess it's upsetting when it's right beside you and you have no clue what's going on."



