Editor’s Note: This article contains graphic information. ABOVE: Accused killer Mark Latunski, photo via WNDU 16 News Now.
The Michigan man who has been charged with last month’s grisly murder, mutilation, and cannibalism of a man he met on Grindr is pleading insanity.
50-year old Mark Latunski confessed to police that he had been responsible for the killing of 25-year-old Kevin Bacon, who was reported missing by his family on Christmas Day after not showing up for a holiday breakfast. Latunski, who was reportedly on the police’s radar for months, told officers he had killed Bacon by stabbing him in the back and slitting his throat, then suspended him by his ankles from the ceiling before removing his testicles and eating them.
Public defender Douglas Corwin, who represents Latunski, filed paperwork on Tuesday saying he would seek an insanity defense for Latunski.
Speaking with local news outlet WNEM, Corwin says his client believes in an “international conspiracy to steal his money” and “rob him of any type of power.” He told reporters the “grandiose claims” are being investigated by his office and that he believes the prosecutor’s office is also investigating them.
Latunski also claimed to a judge at his Dec. 30 arraignment that his real name was Edgar Thomas Hill, and that Mark Latunski was actually his nephew. The judge proceeded with the arraignment after dismissing the claim.
Latunski is thought to have connected with Bacon, a psychology student at the University of Michigan-Flint who also worked as a hairstylist, via the dating app Grindr on Christmas Eve, investigators said. Police discovered Bacon’s body four days after he was reported missing reported him missing, at Latunski’s home in Bennington Township – about 25 miles from Swartz Creek, where Bacon lived.
In a statement on Tuesday, Grindr said through a spokesperson that the company was “heartbroken to hear about this terrible tragedy,” vowing to “remain fully committed to working with law enforcement in the event of any investigation.”
Karl Bacon, the victim’s father, said at a press conference earlier this week that he and his family were “beside ourselves” after learning the details of their son’s death.
“I’m going to remember him how everyone else remembers him, that he’s a good person who was passionate and cares for people,” Bacon said. “Evil does exist and it touched us. When you use these apps, just let other people know who you’re meeting and where you’re going to be at.”
According to The Washington Post, Latunski has had several brushes with authorities in the past, most recently when he was caught chasing a 29-year-old man wearing only a leather kilt from his home. After the incident, the younger man declined to press charges.
The horrific story has attracted attention from prominent media figures, such as cosmetics mogul Jeffree Star, who donated $20,000 to a GoFundMe account created in Bacon’s memory.
Actor Kevin Bacon also paid tribute to his slain namesake on Instagram, saying “His life was taken from him much too soon.”
Latunski was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
