Countless killers roam Toronto streets

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Two men, full of promise and in the prime of their lives, gunned down in a chance encounter, perhaps over some perceived slight.

And 10 years later, the double murder of Oliver Martin, 25, and Dylan Ellis, 26 remains a mystery.

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“I often think about this case and wonder what could possibly have happened that was so horrible to have sparked this,” Toronto Police Det. Mary Vruna told the Toronto Sun recently. “It’s just such a complete and total waste of two lives.”

Vruna was in the Homicide Unit when the best friends were killed on June 13, 2008, and investigated the deadly shooting with Det.-Sgt. Gary Giroux.

“We can speculate and come up with theories, but we may never know why they were killed,” she said.

The year Oliver and Dylan were killed, the city endured a total of 70 murders — 36 by guns — and 28 of those 70 homicides remain unsolved.

Since the beginning of 2008 there have been 658 murders in Toronto and 233 of those remain unsolved, meaning many killers freely roam city streets.

Alan Dudeck is not optimistic his stepson Oliver’s killer will ever be caught.

“It would be great if someone came forward and helped identify the shooter,” he said. “But I think it’s more likely someone in the criminal community might one day offer useful information in exchange for a deal of some sort.”

Family and friends of Oliver and Dylan will gather for an annual memorial on Wednesday — marking 10 years since their deaths — in Rosedale’s Ramsden Park where a red oak tree was planted and a park bench installed with a plaque bearing their names in 2010.

“If justice is done some day, great…but there will never be closure for us,” Dudeck said. “Oliver is gone. He was taken away from us. How do you put closure on that?”

Giroux, like Vruna, has never fogotten Oliver and Dylan.

The longtime homicide investigator said he’d like nothing more than to be able to tell the parents he’s solved the case before his career winds down.

“As long as I’m still here, it’s not a cold case,” Giroux said.

The witnesses who scattered after the shooting — and never spoke to police — are now older, perhaps with kids of their own, and investigators hope one of them will eventually feel compelled to talk.

“If someone wants to clear their conscience, by all means, come forward and talk to us,” Vruna said. “Even if it’s the smallest piece of information, it could be important.”

Tipsters can call the Homicide Unit at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

UNSOLVED HOMICIDES (since 2008)

2008: 28 of 70 murders remain unsolved (40%)

2009: 23 of 62 murders remain unsolved (37%)

2010: 27 of 65 murders remain unsolved (42%)

2011: 13 of 51 murders remain unsolved (25%)

2012: 12 of 57 murders remain unsolved (21%)

2013: 10 of 57 murders remain unsolved (18%)

2014: 18 of 58 murders remain unsolved (31%)

2015: 18 of 59 murders remain unsolved (31%)

2016: 32 of 74 murders remain unsolved (43%)

2017: 34 of 66 murders remain unsolved (52%)

2018: 16 of 39 remain unsolved (41%)

TOTAL: 231 of 658 murders remain unsolved (35%)

cdoucette@postmedia.com

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