The murderer of a Chinese student in Canada is convicted

Luka Rocco Magnotta is extradited to Montreal in June 2012. (Photo/Beijing News)

Victim Lin Jun was 33. He had come to study in Canada from Wuhan, capital city of Central China's Hubei province, in July 2011. He was last seen in public on May 24, 2012, the day before the discovery of a decapitated body in a suitcase outside an apartment. On the same day, two political party offices in Ottawa received a hand and a foot, believed to be Lin's. Luka Rocco Magnotta was charged with first-degree murder in the killing and dismemberment of Lin, and extradited to Montreal the following month.

On Dec 23, 2014, Magnotta was unanimously convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment by the High Court of Justice of Canada in Quebec.

Magnotta, 32, was a porn actor. He confessed to the murder, but claimed he had mental issues and that he was in a confused state of mind while he killed Lin Jun. Prosecutors however, said they had enough evidence to prove that it was a premeditated murder. The crucial evidence was a video that Magnotta sent to a British journalist via E-mail, which said that he was going to kill someone and make a movie about it.

The jury also convicted Magnotta of other crimes including abusing a corpse, making and mailing obscene materials, and harassing the Canadian Prime Minister and other Council members.

Magnotta has never apologized to Lin Jun's family. Lin's father was present for the whole of the trial. He said he had hoped to get an apology from Magnotta, but it never happened.

Officials with the embassy have reminded Chinese students of the need to be very careful with their own safety while studying abroad.