Michigan 'cannibal', 51, who is accused of murdering and mutilating a 25-year-old man named Kevin Bacon who he met on Grindr before 'cutting off and eating his testicles', is deemed fit to stand trial
A Michigan 'cannibal' charged with killing and mutilating a man he met through the dating app Grindr late last year is mentally fit to stand trial, a judge ruled Monday.
Shiawassee County District Judge Ward Clarkson ruled Mark Latunski competent for trial this morning and slated his preliminary hearing to commence on October 23, public defender Doug Corwin revealed to WILX-TV.
The 51-year-old has been charged with the murder and mutilation of Kevin Bacon, 25, who was found dead inside a secret room in the basement of Latunski’s Bennington Township home on December 28 – four days after he was last seen alive.
Bacon was found by police suspended from a ceiling by his ankles. He had been stabbed twice, before having his throat cut.
Investigators say Latunski admitted to later cutting off the victim’s testicles with a knife and eating them.
Mark Latunski (pictured December, 2019) was ruled competent to stand trial this morning and slated his preliminary hearing to commence on October 23
The 51-year-old has been charged with the murder and mutilation of Kevin Bacon, 25, who was found in a secret room inside the basement of Latunski’s Bennington Township home on December 28 – four days after he was last seen alive.
Bacon’s father, Karl Bacon, expressed relief to Michigan Live over the court’s ruling Monday, as he seeks to obtain justice for his son.
‘I’m glad that it’s moving along, finally we’re getting some movement,’ Karl Bacon said. ‘This whole COVID thing has put everything on hold.
Latunski has been receiving treatment in an Ypsilanti psychiatric hospital for several months. He was transferred to the facility from the county jail in June, four months after being found unresponsive in his cell in February.
Shiawassee County Sheriff Brian BeGole previously said that his transfer was delayed by COVID-19 and the wait for a bed to open at the secured facility.
Latuski was initially found not competent to stand trial in late February after forensic evaluations were approved by Shiawassee Chief District Judge Ward L. Clarkson. The motion triggered a 15-month window for prosecutors to find him competent.
On October 2, Corwin, Latunski’s public defender filed for an independent psychological evaluation to be carried out ahead of the decision. Corwin previously filed an insanity defense for his client.
Karl Bacon said he’s been anxiously awaiting the judge’s decision, adding that the family is seeking only one outcome in the case.
‘We’re hoping he gets prison for the rest of his life,’ he said. ‘That’s what we’re going for.’
Bacon’s father, Karl Bacon (pictured with wife Pam), expressed relief to Michigan Live over the court’s ruling Monday, as he seeks to obtain justice for his son
Latunski has been receiving treatment in an Ypsilanti psychiatric hospital for several months. He was transferred to the facility from the county jail in June, four months after being found unresponsive in his cell in February.
Aspiring hairdresser Kevin Bacon was last seen alive on December 24, when his roommate said he left their home to meet up with a man he’d met on the mobile dating app Grindr before completely vanishing.
The man he was venturing off to meet, police would later discover, was Latunski – and a horrifying fate awaited the 25-year-old when he stepped inside the suspect’s home.
Bacon was reported missing by his dad Karl the following day after he failed to show for the family's annual Christmas breakfast.
Police soon found Kevin Bacon's car at a Family Dollar in Clayton Township, later discovering his phone, wallet and some clothes inside the vehicle.
Three days later, Michigan State Police received a call for assistance from Clayton Township Police Department to conduct a welfare check for Bacon inside Latunski's home after receiving a tip he may be inside.
The officers knocked on the front door of the home and spoke with Latunski on his doorstep, who agreed to let them in ad carry out a search of the home.
Latuski, then 50, reportedly admitted to the officers he had killed Bacon by stabbing him in the back and slitting his throat late Christmas Eve or early Christmas morning.
Bacon was found dead hanging upside down from the ceiling naked in a hidden room in Latunski’s basement, where he had been suspended with rope tied around his ankles for nearly four days.
Latunski then reportedly admitted to officers he has also used the murder weapon to cut off Bacon's testicles and later ate them, police testimony shows.
He was been charged with one count of open murder and one count of mutilation of a human body. He’s remained in custody ever since the gruesome discovery was made.
Aspiring hairdresser Kevin Bacon was last seen alive on December 24, when his roommate said he left their home to meet up with a man he’d met on the mobile dating app Grindr before completely vanishing. Thar man was Mark Latunski
Bacon was found dead hanging upside down from the ceiling naked in a hidden room in Latunski’s basement, where he had been suspended with rope tied around his ankles for nearly four days. (Latunski's former residence is show above. The property was auction off in February)
Divorce, custody and criminal records previously observed by DailyMal.com revealed an extensive history of complaints over Latunski’s mental health and behavior.
A sufferer of various mental illness, he was known to have stopped taking medications to treat the conditions, records from the 66th District and 35th Circuit courts indicate.
A motion filed by his ex-wife Emily Latunski to suspend visitation rights to his children on August 22 says the suspect had previously been diagnosed with major depression, paranoid schizophrenia and traits of a personality disorder in 2010 and 2012.
'[Mark Latunski] has a history of mental illness and has been hospitalized in the Owosso Mental Stress unit ... [and] has a history of going off his medication,' the motion states.
Latunski's husband of three years, Jamie Arnold, told M-Live he wasn't aware of his ex-partner's mental illnesses until July, when he was arrested for failing to pay child support.
'To my knowledge, I couldn't force him to see a therapist or take medication,' Arnold said. 'Never in a million years did I think he'd be capable of doing such a horrendous crime.'
Arnold said he left Latunski in September and no longer lived at the home where Bacon was discovered.
'In hindsight, it's easy to sit back and speculate but at the time you're going through it there are emotions and feelings involved. You don't want to think that the person you fell in love with is some crazy homicidal maniac,' Arnold said.
'I pray that God is there for Kevin Bacon's family in their time of need and that He helps us all get through this, one day at a time.'
Shiawassee County District Judge Ward Clarkson ruled Mark Latunski competent for trial this morning and slated his preliminary hearing to commence on October 23
Footloose star Kevin Bacon, who shares the same name as the victim, paid a touching tribute to the 25-year-old at the time, writing on Instagram: ‘'For obvious reasons I'm thinking this morning about the friends and family of this young person Kevin Bacon,' the actor wrote.
'His life was taken from him much too soon. His love was hairdressing. I bet he would have done a great job on this mess on my head. RIP KB.'
The victim's father Karl Bacon said in January of naming his son Kevin: 'I wanted the same initials, but I didn't want Karl Jr. so that made sense.
'The other Kevin Bacon wasn't quite as famous as he is now.'
Latunski’s trial is set to begin on October 23.
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