John Paul Ostamas pleads guilty to killing 3 homeless men

John Paul Ostamas has pleaded guilty to killing three homeless men in downtown Winnipeg last year.

The 40-year-old, who has been in custody for a year, will be sentenced on three counts of second-degree murder on  June 27. 

Miles Monias, Stony Stanley Bushie and Donald Collins all died in April 2015.

Monias, 37, was brutally beaten at a bus shelter on Main Street and Pioneer Avenue on April 10. He later died in hospital.

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Bushie, 48, and Collins, 65, were killed within hours of each other on April 24.

Their bodies were found in downtown back alleys — Bushie behind 333 Portage Ave. and Collins behind 329 Hargrave St. Ostamas, who had no fixed address, was arrested three days later, on April 27.

Ron Monias, father of victim Miles Monias, said he was "happy" to hear Ostamas pleaded guilty to the murder charges.

"We've come a long way — we're working towards closure," he said.

Victims met violent ends

In the statement of facts agreed upon by the Crown and defence, Ostamas and his three victims did not know each other.

Ostamas found his first victim, Miles Monias, sleeping in a Winnipeg Transit bus shelter the morning of April 10. He stomped on Monias's head until he was incapacitated. Ostamas then threw his bloodied clothes into the Red River.

Monias was discovered later in the morning by a Winnipeg Transit employee and taken to a hospital where he died.

Two weeks later, Ostamas found his next two victims.

Ostamas approached Bushie at about 8:27 p.m. on April 24 near the Manitoba Liquor Commission store at Hargrave Street and Ellice Avenue. A large part of their interaction, including Bushie's slaying, was captured on various security cameras.

Bushie died after being thrown to the ground and struck multiple times with a wooden two-by-four. Ostamas also stomped on Bushie's head and removed all of the man's clothing except his sweater. Ostamas disposed of Bushie's clothes in the river.

Two hours later, Ostamas approached Collins, also near Ellice Avenue and Hargrave Street.

The next day, Collins's naked body was found behind a dumpster in a pool of blood with a belt around his neck.

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Pleads guilty to lesser charges

Ostamas was originally charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder, but last month his lawyer, Greg Brodsky, made a motion to make all of the counts second-degree murder.

Brodsky said the downgrade was an "encouragement" for Ostamas to plead guilty. The Crown did not oppose the motion.

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Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse on Tuesday, Brodsky said the killings were not premeditated, even though his client claimed to be seeking "vengeance."

"He's claiming in the agreed statement of facts that what he did was vengeance for people who raped his girlfriend. That would be first-degree murder," Brodsky said.

"We're not pleading to first-degree murder. That's himself puffing himself up."

According to court documents, Ostamas told his spiritual caregiver at the Winnipeg Remand Centre that his pregnant girlfriend was raped by four individuals. The police investigated and could not substantiate his story.

In a statement to police, Ostamas said he had intended to kill four men but said he "only found three."

Brodsky said they considered pursuing a decision that Ostamas was not criminally responsible for the killings, but decided it was inappropriate.

The fact that two of the killings were captured by surveillance cameras helped lead to the guilty plea, Brodsky said.

Brodsky said the question of whether Ostamas meets the legal definition of a serial killer will be addressed when he returns to court for sentencing.

At the same time, the lawyer admitted that he cannot recall the last time someone in Winnipeg pleaded guilty to three separate murders.

Ostamas is from Eabametoong First Nation, also known as Fort Hope First Nation, in northwestern Ontario, but has spent time in Winnipeg as well as in Thunder Bay, Ont.

He was arrested on April 27, 2015, at the Employment and Income Assistance office on Rorie Street in Winnipeg.

After consulting with his lawyer, Ostamas voluntarily admitted his involvement in all three deaths. He provided a 348-page statement to police.