Michigan Cannibal Found Guilty of Killing Man Named Kevin Bacon

A Michigan cannibal has been found guilty by a judge of first-degree murder for the killing and mutilation of a man named Kevin Bacon.

The conviction of Mark Latunski, 53, was issued by Judge Matthew J. Stewart on Wednesday after a rare degree hearing where the judge had to decide whether the cannibal was guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or manslaughter, mlive.com reported. The ruling comes after only a day and a half of testimony.

Latunski had already pled guilty in September to open murder and one felony count of mutilation of the body.

According to police, Latunski met Bacon, 25, through the gay dating app Grindr in December 2019.

After relatives reported Bacon missing when he did not show up for family breakfast on Christmas Day, authorities launched an investigation into his whereabouts, Breitbart News reported. Information regarding Bacon’s activity through the dating app led investigators to search Latunski’s house in Bennington Township.

Upon searching the home, they found Bacon hung by his ankles in his basement, where the victim had been stabbed, his throat cut, and part of his genitalia cut off, which Latunksi ate.

According to court testimony via mlive.com, information found on Latunski’s phone revealed he had over 50 searches of knife-related content as well as cannibalism topics. Hours before meeting Bacon, Latunski had also purchased an ESEE Knife.

Latunski’s lawyer, Mary Chartier, argued that the murder was not premeditated, saying he did not have any intentions to kill Bacon nor had “fully evaluated the consequences of the killing.” However, the judge presiding over the trial was not persuaded by the defense’s arguments and found Latunksi guilty of first-degree murder.

“The court finds that this is a crime of cold calculation,” the judge said during the trial. “Kevin Bacon’s death was Mark Latunski’s design.”

Latunski is currently being held in a detention facility where his sentencing is scheduled for December 15.

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.