A Michigan man who was accused of killing and eating a 25-year-old man named Kevin Bacon has pleaded guilty to murdering and mutilating the college student.
Mark David Latunski, 52, pleaded guilty on Thursday to the horrific December 2019 killing, as reported by Michigan-based outlet MLive.
Bacon's remains were found in a secret room in the basement of Latunski's home on December 28 - four days after the young man's loved ones say they last saw him.
The two men met on Grindr, which self-describes as "the world's largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people."
The victim was discovered hung by his ankles from rafters in Latunski's home with stab wounds and a cut to his throat.
In footage of the trial, obtained by MLive, Latunski admits to dismembering and consuming parts of Bacon.
"Did you use a knife to stab Mr. Bacon" the prosecutor asks Latunski in the video. "Did you know that stabbing Mr. Bacon with a knife would most certainly create a very high risk of death or great bodily harm to Mr. Bacon?"
"Yes I did," Latunski responds.
He revealed during the trial that he stabbed Bacon in the back at his home, which caught the man by surprise.
"After Mr. Bacon was dead, did you remove part of his body, specifically his testicles," she next asks. "Did you move those testicles to the kitchen?"
"Yes I did," Latunski responds.
He pleaded guilty to charges of open murder and mutilation of a body. "Open murder" contains both first and second-degree murder. A hearing has been scheduled for October 18, where it will be determined whether Latunski will be found guilty of first or second-degree murder or manslaughter.
First-degree murder would entail a life sentence with no chance of parole, while second-degree murder could mean life in prison - but with parole.
Latunski's confession to the crime came as a surprise to his legal team who had been relying on a claim of their client's insanity.
"While this is not an outcome that (defense attorney) Mr. Krause and I think is in Mr. Latunski's best interest, we do have to follow Mr. Latunski's wishes," Chartier said in court. "We have discussed this matter and consistently he's been very clear, more than once, multiple times, on his choice and on his reasoning."
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