Mark Latunski (center) at his Sept. 22, 2022 plea hearing.
A judge on Wednesday settled on which charge a man will go to prison for in a Grindr date’s horrifying death. When defendant Mark Latunski, 53, pleaded guilty in September to killing Kevin Bacon, 25, it was only to a charge of open murder. That left it up to a judge to determine in a two-day hearing if the exact charge will be first- or second-degree murder, or manslaughter according to local outlets.
Judge Matthew Stewart settled on first-degree murder in a Shiawassee County, Michigan, courtroom.
“The court does not find this crime committed in the heat of passion,” he said, according to WNEM. “The court finds that this is a crime of cold calculation. Kevin Bacon’s death was Mark Latunski’s design.”
Bacon was found dead in December 2019, authorities have said. His remains hung from the ceiling of a hidden room in Latunski’s home. Bacon had been hung upside down, his throat slit, authorities said in a WEAR report. Latunski ate his testicles.
The men had met through the dating app Grindr.
Latunski attorney Mary Chartier pushed for a lesser charge.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Latunski made a number of comments during his interrogation that the court listed in its ruling, as well as actions that he had taken before,” she said, according to WNEM. “While we tried to explain those and put those in context, the court agreed with the government on this matter and found first degree murder,”
Kevin’s father Karl Bacon welcomed Stewart’s decision.
“It’s been a long road, and I’m glad we’re almost to the end of it,” he told the outlet. “We have one more hearing to go and I think hopefully then we can put this matter to rest.”
Latunski is expected to get life in prison for the crime, but formal sentencing is set for Dec. 15.
[Screenshot via MLive]