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Who is Rocco Luka Magnotta?

The individual who is alleged to have brutally killed a man in Montreal and shipped at least two body parts by mail to political parties in Ottawa is now the subject of an international man-hunt.

The life and times of Rocco Luca Magnotta have also come under the microscope as Canadians try to come to terms with what kind of person might have committed such gruesome acts.

Here's what we know about Magnotta so far:

From Scarborough:

Magnotta was born in Scarborough in 1982 as Eric Clinton Newman. Records show he had legally changed his name to Luka Rocco Magnotta in 2006.

He has also used the alias Vladimir Romanov.

According to a neighbour, Magnotta moved to Montreal from Toronto four months ago to be closer to his child.

Several members of Magnotta's immediate family now live in Peterborough.

Porn industry:

Magnotta is a self-described male model who launched his bisexual porn acting career "doing webcam shows" in Los Angeles when he was 20 years old.

Photographs of him — often shirtless, his lips rouged and set in a model pout — are all over the Internet.

According to the Toronto Star, Magnotta is featured in a number of online interviews about the porn industry. In one, he is quoted professing his love for cosmetic surgery. In another, he gives tips on how to make it in porn.

In the latter, he laments about his approaching retirement from the entertainment industry and is quoted as saying he finds criminal law and psychology "fascinating."

Dead kittens and the animal rights groups:

According to the Montreal Gazette, animal-rights activists around the world have been after Magnotta since 2010 after a video surfaced that allegedly showed him placing two kittens in a plastic bag and then vacuuming the air out, suffocating the animals.

Two more videos, also depicting the torture and killing of cats, also have been linked to Magnotta.

At one point, a $5,000 reward was offered to bring him to justice.

Links to Karla Homolka:

Police have confirmed that Magnotta was romantically linked to Karla Homolka.

Homolka — former wife of convicted killer Paul Bernado — was convicted of manslaughter following a plea bargain in the 1991/92 rape-murders of three young women including Karla's sister Tammy Homolka.

The Canadian Press reports that one mainstream news article cited Magnotta complaining that his life had been ruined by "unfounded rumours" he was dating Homolka. Strangely, Magnotta claims that he helped spread those rumours himself.

This 2010 article at allvoices.com notes the two were married and living in the Caribbean.

Off to France?:

According to the Globe and Mail, Magnotta is now on Interpol's wanted persons list after it's believed he fled to France over the weekend, following the brutal killing.

His current whereabouts, however, are not known.