'IRONIC AND TRAGIC': Man, 23, charged in slaying of retired oral surgeon
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A friend of murdered retired oral surgeon and philanthropist Dr. Paul Morgan called it “ironic” that the man who dedicated his life to helping others died while trying to assist a friend’s grandson.
“That was the doc, trying to help people to the end,” said Jeff Zownir, a close friend of Morgan’s and senior basketball coach at St. Michael’s College, after an arrest in the murder.
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“It’s ironic and tragic that his life ended this way.”
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Toronto Police announced Monday they had arrested Makoons Meawasige-Moore, 23, and charged him with second-degree murder.
Morgan, 79. was acting as Meawasige-Moore’s surety for outstanding arson charges stemming from fires in the Junction and Little Italy areas of Toronto in 2017. Both men lived at Morgan’s home.
Meawasige-Moore appeared at the Ontario Court of Justice at 1000 Finch Ave. W. on Monday and was remanded to June 8.
On April 14 at 8:15 a.m., officers responded to a sudden death call at 42 Howard Dr., in the Sheppard Ave. and Leslie St. area, and found Morgan’s body.
Morgan died of blunt force trauma and there were no obvious signs of forced entry into the house.
Det.-Sgt. Keri Fernandes said Meawasige-Moore was charged while in custody at Toronto South Detention Centre as he was being held on a charge of breaching his bail conditions.
“We are not looking for another suspect,” said Fernandes. “We are still examining his history with the victim in order to establish past conflicts.”
Zownir said Morgan “donated money to the school to help children in financial need” pay tuition of $20,000 to St. Michael’s College.
Michael Lavelle, who considered Morgan a second father, said his dad and Morgan rescued hundreds of good children, some of whom simply lacked financial resources.
“My dad was the good cop and Morgan played the bad cop. These children simply needed the chance and Doc provided those opportunities,” said Lavelle.
“Doc was a workaholic. ‘Why don’t you get married,’ I asked him. ‘I don’t want to take any hostages.’
“Doc struggled for peace. The best way for him to get peace was helping others, he had to stay busy,” said Lavelle.
“His last post on my Facebook was about givers and takers. He told me, ‘Michael you have been such a slow learner. The givers give and the takers take because all the givers know what to do is to give.'”
Lavelle said Morgan saw money as a tool, “like a wrench or a screwdriver, to help people.
“He wasn’t wasteful by any means. Money had a purpose, but it wasn’t about driving fancy cars or having mansions,” said Lavelle. “It didn’t mean that much to him.
“He had Raptors and Leafs season tickets and never went, just gave them away.”
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