Toronto police have issued an arrest warrant for a suspect in the death former CBC journalist Michael Finlay, who former colleagues say was pushed from behind while out grocery shopping on Jan. 24.CBC
Police have announced they are seeking a suspect in the Toronto homicide of a prominent retired broadcast journalist.
Robert Robin Cropearedwolf, 43, is wanted for manslaughter after a random assault last month on Danforth Avenue.
Michael Finlay, the 73-year-old victim, died of his injuries this week. His former colleagues at the CBC, who describe him as a skilled journalist, say he was pushed from behind while out grocery shopping on Jan. 24. Toronto police released a photo of a suspect after the assault and on Friday announced a warrant for Mr. Cropearedwolf’s arrest.
The suspect’s name and age match the biographic details of a man who has previously been before the courts on robbery and related offences.
A series of random and violent attacks in Canada have lately put politicians under pressure to address the root causes of crime. The resulting calls for action include everything from more mental-health supports to crackdowns on repeat offenders.
In 2017, Toronto police issued a statement saying that a man with the same name, age and similar appearance as Mr. Cropearedwolf was being sought in relation to robberies on King Street West that included a jewellery heist.
In 2011, state troopers in Idaho arrested a man with the same name and age for several stolen property and burglary offences that occurred in several states. Sergeant Vance Cox of Idaho State Police, who initially made the arrest and reviewed police records on Friday, told The Globe and Mail that Mr. Cropearedwolf pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two to four years.
Mr. Cropearedwolf also appears to have been facing criminal charges that were laid in Toronto last spring. Court officials said Friday that they could not immediately release details.
Mr. Finlay, the victim of last month’s alleged assault, retired from CBC in 2010 after 31 years at the national broadcaster. He worked for radio shows such as Dispatches, The World at Six and Sunday Morning.
Last week, Toronto police announced it would be stepping up patrols in and around the city’s downtown transit hubs after a series of random attacks.
On Dec. 9, Vanessa Kurpiewska, 31, was killed at High Park Station in a stabbing attack where a second woman was injured. A 52-year-old man has been charged with first degree murder and attempted murder.
On Jan. 20, an 89-year-old woman was killed around noon while walking near the subway station at King and Yonge streets. Police say she was pushed to the ground by a 37-year-old man, who is now facing manslaughter charges.
There have also been a series of non-fatal assaults over the past month including that of a 23-year-old foreign student who was stabbed multiple times aboard the Spadina streetcar by an assailant she did not know.
With files from Rick Cash
Colin Freeze