Homeless man accused of being serial killer in 3 Winnipeg deaths

John Paul Ostamas, a 39-year-old man of no fixed address,has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection withthe deaths oftwo men over the weekend in Winnipeg.

The charges relate to the deaths of Donald Collins, 65, and Stoney Stanley Bushie, 48, whose bodieswere found in back alleys in the city's downtownon Saturday.

Police have also charged Ostamas with second-degree murder in the death of37-year-old MilesMonias,who was found woundedin a bus shelter in the city April 10. He later died in hospital.

• Who is John Paul Ostamas?
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As well, Ostamas has beencharged with arson for another incidenton Saturday.Police allege heset fire to a washroom in the Winnipeg Hotelat 214 Main St., causing damage.

Suspect is homeless, has violent past

Winnipeg police say Ostamas has a violent past in the Thunder Bay, Ont., area, with a criminal record that goes back to 2002.

Supt.Danny Smyth saidWinnipeg police have had little contact with Ostamas, but have learned that his record includes a domestic assault in March.

Headdedthat, to investigators'knowledge, Ostamas is not connected to any other homicides,but that police will be in touch with their counterparts in other jurisdictions.

Smyth saidOstamas has been in Winnipeg off and on for the past 10 years.

He saidpolice believe Ostamas attacked and killed the twomen on the same night this past weekend.

The death ofMoniaswas described asa "chance encounter," and investigators accuseOstamasof being the assailant.

• Father of MilesMoniasforgives alleged serial killer
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Smyththanked several business owners who showed up over the weekend to provide surveillance video to police.

He saidthat enabled police to get out the images of the suspect, which led to the quick arrest.

Charlie Okeese, a band councillor from Eabametoong First Nation, or Fort Hope First Nation, in northwestern Ontario, confirmed that Ostamas is a band member.

Greg Brodsky, the accused's lawyer, saidOstamas has no fixed address and that Ostamas has spent a lot of time on the street.

"He needs some legal help," Brodsky said. "He's in a lot of trouble."

Ostamas was located after images of a man thattaken by a surveillance camerawere released by police on Sunday, in the hope that the public could help identify him.

• Winnipeg police release photos of person of interest in homicides targeting homeless

They also said they werelooking for two other people, a man and a woman, who were in that samearea between 9:30p.m.and 9:45 p.m. Friday.

Until Tuesday morning, police had refrained from calling anyone a suspect, referring to them only as persons of interest.

Bushie was 'a harmless guy,' says niece

Meanwhile, Bushie's family members and friendssay he was a happy guy who wouldn't hurt anyone.

His bodywas found Saturday eveningin an alleybehindthe Portage Avenueheadquarters of the Aboriginal PeoplesTelevision Network (APTN), which had security cameras that recorded the attack.

• APTN security camera captures brutal downtown Winnipeg attack
• Homicide victims ID'd as Donald Collins, Stoney Stanley Bushie

Bushie was from Little Grand Rapids, a remote First Nation community about 270 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

One of his nieces, Amanda Martin, told CBC News the family had not heard from Bushie since mid-March, when he travelled to Winnipeg for a medical appointment.

"We were really shocked. Like, he was a harmless guy, and he had a family out here that loved him and cared for him," Martin said.

"I was like, 'Oh my goodness how could this happen?' Oh, man. He was nice. He would do anything for anybody."

The body of Collinswas found at about 12:45 a.m.Saturday in an alley behind 329 Hargrave St.

One of the victims was homeless, while the other was known to have spent time on the streets, according to police, who issued a warning for the city's homeless people to be cautious.

• Winnipeg homeless agencies on high alert after 2 homicides

Martin said she believesBushiehad been staying at a First Nationsboarding home in Winnipeg.She saidofficers found no identification on her uncle, so they had to use his fingerprints to identify him.

The two men were remembered as friendly and polite visitors tothe city's soup kitchen lines. Homeless workers with the DowntownWinnipeg BIZsaid Collins andBushiewere "pleasant and engaging."

"They had their days, but I remember both of them always beinghappy with what they had," saidMeaghanWylie, a worker with theBIZgroup.

"They wanted a better life and they had probably gone through alot of traumatic experiences in their past. But theywere dealingwith it. That was their life. That's what they were content with."

'He was a good man,' says chief

Martin Owens, chief of the Little Grand Rapids First Nation, said he last saw Bushie a childhood friend at a First Nations bank in downtown Winnipeg on Thursday afternoon.

"He was joking around like he always does. Like, I grew up with him," Owens said.

"He was happy to see me and I was happy to see him, and I told him, 'Whenever you want to go home, just give me a call.'"

Owens said Bushie had struggled with addiction before, but he appeared to be clean when they last spoke.

"I don't think Stoney would ever start a fight with anybody," he said.

"He wasn't like that. He was a good man."

Henry Owens, another longtime friend of Bushie's from Little Grand Rapids, also said he saw him on the streetdays before the homicide.

"He was a friendly guy, got along with a lot of people, laugh around with people," he said.

"That's what I liked about him so much. I'm going to miss him."