Peter Elie

Police in Toronto have arrested  27-year-old Rico Harvey and charged him with second-degree murder in connection with the killing of Peter Elie, 52, a popular DJ in the city. Elie made his reputation spinning in some of Toronto’s most popular gay venues, including Woody’s and Pegasus, under the name DJ Blue Peter.

Related: Beloved gay DJ Warren Gluck has died

Canadian channel CP24 reports that law enforcement arrived early Thursday morning, having responded to reports of a small fire in the laundry room of Elie’s apartment building. His roommate claimed that Elie had gone to wash his clothes, but never returned. Other residents in the building reported hearing screaming and yelling before noticing the smell of smoke. Police then discovered Elie’s beaten body near where the fire had been set. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

An investigation of security footage revealed Harvey entering the building. At this time, it is unclear how or why Harvey attacked Elie. Police suspect the two first met at the time of the attack.

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