Hamilton homicide victim documented conflicts at his MacNab Street North rooming house

Yelling, banging doors, fights between tenants and strangers squatting in vacant rooms.

This was Ethan MacCullouch's world inside 94 MacNab St. N., where he rented one of 15 small rooms above a now-shuttered bar. It's where the 35-year-old's body was discovered around 9 a.m. Monday, after his concerned landlord went to check on him after not hearing from him for several days.

Hamilton police now believe MacCullouch was killed sometime after 5 a.m. Friday morning, three days before his body was found, said Det. Sgt. Steve Bereziuk, the homicide case manager for the major crime unit.

Police do not know who killed MacCullouch or why, but detectives have begun to piece together the 35-year-old's last movements.

MacCullouch recorded a series of videos months before his death, many showing aggressive conflicts with neighbours. The videos, posted on YouTube and Facebook, offer a glimpse into his tumultuous life inside the central Hamilton building, where he had rented a room for several years.

Police say MacCulloch was known to help around the building and wanted to live there on his own. But the property was also known to have a problem with squatters and police had been called many times about tenant issues, including early on the morning before the homicide.

Around 4 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 29, police were called to the building over a dispute that involved MacCullouch and other people in the building. Police responded and spoke with people on scene. Not long after, around 5 a.m., MacCullouch used his phone. This is the last point detectives know he was alive. Investigators believe he was killed sometime later Friday morning.

Bereziuk said there is no evidence the people in the earlier dispute are involved in the homicide, but police want to speak with them. Police have their names and are hoping they come forward voluntarily, he said.

Police also want to speak with anyone who was recently living or staying in the building, including those recorded in MacCullouch's videos.

In the videos MacCullouch records from inside his room there are laundry baskets and a small bed on one side, a mini fridge and supplies piled on the other. In several videos, there is someone yelling and banging on his door; more than once he has to brace himself against the door to keep someone from breaking in.

In one video, he yells profanities on the phone to a Hamilton police detective who had recently charged him. In another, he is singing and uses the name Kevin Stewart, which was his birth name. It's unclear when and why he changed his name to Ethan MacCullouch.

Police are also aware of these videos, Bereziuk said.

While police want to talk to the people in the videos, Bereziuk also stressed that police don't want the public drawing any conclusions from the recordings. No one is a suspect, he said.

In one of the videos, MacCullouch records himself calling police in August after a neighbour allegedly threatened him. In the video MacCullouch said the neighbour had a knife and there is banging at the door.

Police did respond that day and spoke with both men, The Spectator has confirmed. Both declined to press charges.

It seems as though everyone was always yelling in the building, Bereziuk said. Police have been called there many times.

MacCullouch had family in Hamilton, but chose to live in the rooming house and wanted to be on his own, Bereziuk said.

He had mental-health issues and lived off social assistance. The 35-year-old had a criminal record, largely for nuisance crimes, including minor assaults and mischiefs. He was recently charged with sexual assault, but that was resolved without conviction, by way of a peace bond.

Since his death, there have been a number of comments on social media about the victim being a convicted pedophile. However, Bereziuk said that's not true. MacCullouch was never accused of or convicted of any offences involving children.

We recognize and are very aware of the chatter online about Ethan," Bereziuk said. We don't typically comment on (a victim's) criminal background, but in this case, he's being unfairly accused of being a child molester."

MacCullouch had a good relationship with his landlord, often doing odd jobs around the building. Several days after last hearing from him, she went to check on MacCullouch and found his body around 9 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 1.

Police have not disclosed cause of death, or any evidence of what may have happened inside the room. Bereziuk said that's because it's possible only the killer or killers know.

Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Dave Brewster at 905-546-4067.

To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or crimestoppershamilton.com.

Nicole O'Reilly is a Hamilton-based reporter covering crime and justice for The Spectator. Reach her via email: noreilly@thespec.com