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Man Accused of Killing, Cannibalizing Date Allegedly Believes He's Welsh Noble
Mark David Latunski is accused of killing and then eating the testicles of a Michigan hairdresser named Kevin Bacon.
Attorneys for a Michigan man accused of killing and eating the testicles of a hairdresser named Kevin Bacon plan to argue insanity, according to court filings.
On Wednesday, a judge ordered a mental evaluation for Mark David Latunski, 50, who is accused of killing Bacon, 25, on Christmas after attorneys filed a motion stating their intent to use the insanity defense.
Police say Latunski admitted to stabbing Bacon in the back of the neck and slitting his throat before hanging Bacon's corpse upside down by its ankles with rope in a hidden room in his home. Police also said Latunski admitted to cutting off and eating Bacon's testicles.
The last time Bacon was seen alive was on Christmas Eve when he reportedly told his roommate he was going out on a date — from which he never returned, according to The Associated Press.
Latunski allegedly met Bacon on the dating app Grindr.
Bacon’s body was found on Dec. 28 in a secret room in the basement of Latunski’s home after Bacon's family contacted police on Christmas, Michigan State Police Lt. David Kaiser said, according to MLive.com.
He was arraigned by video on Dec. 30 on one count of open murder — which means it has not been determined if he'll be charged with first- or second-degree murder — and one count of disinterment/mutilation of a dead body.
Latunski has made several odd claims during the arraignment, where it was said he believes his name is Edgar Thomas Hill and he was born to nobility in Wales, England, according to local television outlet WJRT-TV.
Court records filed by Latunski's public defense attorney state that the suspect is "so fixated on a conspiracy theory including multiple nations/countries and involved in multiple trust accounts", according to The Associated Press. The records also confirm that Latunski “believes he is a noble person from the Thomas Clan of Wales.”
There will not be another court hearing for Latunski until the mental competency test is completed. If he is deemed competent, the trial will continue. If not, Latunski will be held at a mental treatment facility until he is deemed fit to stand trial, according to WJRT.
Latunski is currently being held in the Shiawassee County Jail without bond, according to MLive.com. The judge has ordered him to be moved to a mental institution for the pending evaluations.
Latunski has a history of mental health issues and was charged for custodial kidnapping in 2013, charges that were later dismissed at the request of the alleged victim, according to previous reporting by the Lansing State Journal.
