Did He Meet His Killer In Gay Chat Room?
by Ben Thompson
365Gay.com Newscenter in Ottawa

(Ottawa)  Ottawa police have called in the hate-crimes unit to investigate the killing of a 35 year old gay man.  The body of Christopher Raynsford was found in his downtown apartment.  Police say he had been beaten to death.

Friends said Raynsford had told them a month before the killing he had been threatened and robbed by a stranger he met in an internet gay chat room.   Raynsford did not report the incident to police.

One friend, Michael Fortier, told the CTV news that Raynsford occasionally met men at popular gay chat site Gay.com and invited them home.  

"It is a gay bashing incident, certainly," said Fortier.  

Raynsford was a waiter and part time actor.  In an ironic twist of fate, his last role was in the Laramee Project, a play about the murder of Matthew Shepard.

Before opening night Raynsford placed a note in the Matthew Shepard memorial website.

"To all who have taken the time to sign and read this guestbook, thank you! To know there are people in this world who still care for someone that (they have) not even met is inspiring. We are doing the play The Laramie Project in May here in Ottawa and I for one will be honored in telling this story to the family and friends. My heart goes out to you and it must be a comfort to know that people still care. God bless."

Raynsford's body had been in the apartment for some time before it was discovered.   

Raynsford failed to show up for work at his waitering job at Le Café in the National Arts Center Nov. 21. Friends said they left messages on his answering machine for more than a week.  Finally his mother called the superintendent at Raynsford's apartment building.  When there was no response at the door he let himself in and discovered the body.

Ottawa police have issued a warning to people who use internet chat rooms to be careful of whom they invite into their homes.

Over the past year there has been a string of unsolved robberies and assaults in Ottawa dating back to November 2001, involving male victims sought out through gay phone sex lines.

Police issued a warning last December that at least five users of gay dating services had been assaulted and robbed by someone they met over the phone.  Most of the injuries were minor.

©365Gay.com Ltd® 2002

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