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Mark Marek Charged In Relation To Murder Video In Magnotta Case

Edmonton Man Charged In Relation To Magnotta Murder Video
In this photo provided by Montreal Police, Luka Rocco Magnotta is taken by police from a Canadian military plane to a waiting van on Monday, June 18, 2012, in Mirabel, Quebec. Magnotta, the suspect in the killing and dismemberment of a Chinese student, returned to Canada via military transport from Germany, where he was arrested this month. (AP Photo/Montreal Police)
AP
In this photo provided by Montreal Police, Luka Rocco Magnotta is taken by police from a Canadian military plane to a waiting van on Monday, June 18, 2012, in Mirabel, Quebec. Magnotta, the suspect in the killing and dismemberment of a Chinese student, returned to Canada via military transport from Germany, where he was arrested this month. (AP Photo/Montreal Police)

Police have charged an Edmonton man in relation to a video posted on the website bestgore.com that allegedly depicts Luka Magnotta killing Jun Lin.

Mark Marek, the owner of the website, was charged on July 16 with one count of corrupting morals.

Magnotta is to stand trial in September 2014 for the murder and dismemberment of Chinese university student Jun Lin in Montreal last year. Parts of Lin's body were mailed across Canada in a gruesome killing that made headlines around the world. Magnotta has pleaded not guilty in that case.

Police allege Marek knew the video sent to him depicted a real killing when he posted it online.

The video in question was titled “1 Lunatic 1 Ice Pick” and allegedly depicts Magnotta stabbing and dismembering Lin.

According to police, the video remained on the site for eight days.

Before he was charged, a statement that appeared on the 38-year-old's website said he was going to meet with police for an interview and expected he might be arrested.

"It may sound strange, but at this point in my life, jail doesn't sound all that unattractive,'" said the statement. "I wouldn't mind taking a break from the world ... I've dedicated my life to fight against Evil and Lies, and I know that God and Truth are on my side.

"I do not fear the servants of Satan. One way or another, my life will end one day, and so will theirs."

Marek has been remanded and will attend a bail hearing Thursday morning.

Story continues after the slideshow

The Luka Rocco Magnotta Case

Police say they spent a long time trying to track Marek down and believe he may have been living out of his car.

“This was a very long investigation. Basically our suspect was very elusive,” EPS Staff Sgt. Bill Clark told reporters Wednesday.

He doesn't believe Edmonton police have ever laid such a charge before. It carries a maximum two-year prison term.

Clark said Marek left the country the day after he was located and Canadian Border Services was notified.

He returned to Canada July 10, where his laptop, USB ports and hard drives were seized at Vancouver airport.

It was after an interview with Edmonton police Tuesday afternoon that Marek was charged.

“He’s a different individual. He has some thoughts that a lot of our investigators were shaking their heads at,” Clark told reporters.

Marek has previously defended his actions, despite removing the offending clip from his website, saying that the release of the video helped law officials nail down a suspect.

"People should be grateful and thank [the] great job Best Gore did to ensure everyone's safety," Marek told CBC last year.

"Because the video was made public, Best Gore community was able to identify the [suspect] and report it."

Clark described Marek's website as "disturbing."

“I would describe the website, myself, as my personal opinion, as a racist website, inciting hate, hatred, violence – violence above and beyond anything normal, anything close to what we’ve seen here,” he added.

Officers have flown to Vancouver with warrants for Marek's computer equipment. Clark said the suspect could face additional charges, including hate crime offences, related to other items posted on the website.

He described the site as racist and disturbing. It's also unsettlingly popular, with as many as 10 million viewers, said Clark.

He said he doesn't think police have the authority to shut down the website unless Marek is convicted in court.

With files from The Canadian Press

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