An Edmonton filmmaker accused of killing a former Peninsula man was found guilty of first-degree murder Tuesday.
The conviction means Mark Twitchell, 31, receives an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Twitchell had been accused of bludgeoning, stabbing and dismembering Johnny Altinger on Oct. 10, 2008.
During his trial, it was alleged Twitchell posed as a woman on an online dating site solely to lure Altinger – who attended Earl Marriott Secondary until 1989 – to a garage and kill him. The court heard Altinger’s remains were found in a sewer, and that Twitchell kept note of the experiences in a diary.
Twitchell testified he killed Altinger in self-defense.
On a Facebook page with condolences for Altinger’s family, the 38-year-old is described as a guy with “a great sense of humour” who had “a load of friends” and always treated people with respect.
