[6] Lin had been studying in Montreal since July 2011,[6] previously attending Tyark College, a language school,[7] and had worked part-time as a convenience store clerk in Pointe-Saint-Charles.

A staff member of the Internet Adult Film Database commented, upon reviewing Magnotta's output, that "not even the porn industry was much interested in him".

[31][32][33] He had multiple cosmetic surgeries, and auditioned for the Slice network television show Plastic Makes Perfect in February 2008.

[35][36][37] During the murder investigation in 2012, Montreal police announced that the pair had dated, but soon retracted the statement, and acknowledged that they had no evidence to corroborate the claim.

[20][37] A transgender woman who had briefly dated Magnotta at the time, said in 2012 that he was obsessed with becoming famous, and that he seemed to perceive Homolka and her accomplice Paul Bernardo as "role models".

[41] The Internet community which had identified Magnotta reported him to authorities, warning that after committing acts of animal cruelty, he might pose a threat to humans.

In February 2011, Toronto police began investigating Magnotta in connection with the videos, after receiving a complaint from the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

[43] The OSPCA also contacted the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Britain, the American FBI, and police in Montreal, due to the suspect's extensive travels.

[50] During the video, the 1987 New Order song "True Faith" plays in the background,[47] and a poster for the 1942 film Casablanca is visible on the wall.

[57] Several hours after killing Lin, Magnotta booked a round-trip ticket for a flight from Montreal to Paris, using a passport with his own name.

[62] A janitor discovered a decomposing torso inside a suitcase, left in a garbage pile in the alley behind an apartment building in the Snowdon area of Montreal.

[62] After searching the scene, police recovered human remains, bloody clothes, and papers identifying the suspect, as well as "sharp and blunt objects" from the back alley.

[69] Some of the packages were wrapped in pink tissue paper; one of them was labeled with a note saying "Roses are red, violets are blue, the police will need dental records to identify you bitch.

[74] On July 1, his head was recovered at the edge of a small lake in Montreal's Angrignon Park, after police received an anonymous tip.

The red notice requested that Magnotta be provisionally arrested pending extradition back to Canada by any Interpol member state.

[78] Prior to the red notice, Magnotta booked a round-trip ticket for a flight from Montreal to Paris on May 25, using a passport with his own name.

[70] On June 4, 2012, Magnotta was apprehended by Berlin Police at an Internet café in the Neukölln district while reading news stories about himself.

A military transport was reported by the government to be necessary, due to safety concerns with using a commercial flight, and potential legal difficulties if the plane were diverted to another country.

[87] Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird called Chinese ambassador Junsai Zhang to convey his condolences.

[88] On June 4, 2012, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he was pleased that the suspect was arrested, and congratulated the police forces on their good work in apprehending him.

[82] Interim Liberal Party leader Bob Rae said that Canadians should mourn the victim, rather than "in any way, shape or form" celebrate Magnotta's notoriety.

[84][89][90] The Chinese Students and Scholars Association of Concordia University established a fund to defray expenses incurred by Lin's family while in Canada, and an award was created in his honour.

"[114] Six tools (a pair of scissors, two knives, a screwdriver, an oscillating saw and a hammer) were recovered outside Magnotta's apartment and analysed by ballistics expert Gilbert Desjardins.

He said none could be definitively linked to the killing and that no skeletal marks suggested the screwdriver or scissors were used, but some were consistent with saw and knife or X-Acto blade injuries.

[115] During the trial, defence attorney Luc Leclair argued that Magnotta was in a psychotic state at the time of the crimes and could not be held responsible for his actions.

The Crown prosecutor argued that the murder of Jun Lin was organized and premeditated and that Magnotta was "purposeful, mindful, ultra-organized and ultimately responsible for his actions.

Prosecutors also suggested that the black screwdriver used by Magnotta to stab Lin had been painted silver to resemble the ice pick used in Basic Instinct's murder scenes.

[120] During his trial for murder, defence witnesses provided evidence that Luka Magnotta had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia as a teenager.

[143] Author Steve Lillebuen, who wrote a book on the case, described a new trend in crime where social media allows killers to become "online broadcasters", and have direct, instant access to a global audience they may crave.

[146] The show, titled Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer and directed by Mark Lewis, premiered on December 18, 2019.