Hamilton man charged with first-degree murder in death of Ethan MacCullouch

Police have made an arrest in the homicide of 35-year-old Ethan MacCullouch, found fatally stabbed in a central Hamilton rooming house last week.

Malcolm Washington, 22, of Hamilton, is charged with first-degree murder.

Police said in a press release Washington was arrested Monday afternoon in the area of Sherman Avenue North and Wilson Street. He appeared in court Tuesday morning.

MacCullouch was discovered in the room he rented at 94 MacNab St. N. around 9 a.m. on Feb. 1 by the building's landlord, who was concerned after not hearing from him for several days.

The unit is one of 15 small rooms above a now-shuttered karaoke bar at the corner of MacNab and Vine streets, a block south of Cannon Street West.

Police believe MacCullouch was stabbed to death sometime after 5 a.m. on Jan. 29.

A murder weapon has yet to be found.

Det. Sgt. Steve Bereziuk of the major crime unit said MacCullouch and Washington were known to each other.

They've had previous run-ins at the bar downstairs and disputes in the past," he said.

At one point, Washington lived in the same rooming house as MacCullouch, but not at the time of the murder, Bereziuk added.

He was not welcome. The landlord did not want Malcolm Washington at the property."

Washington has a criminal record for mischief and assault, but nothing that comes close to murder," Bereziuk said.

In the months before his death, MacCullouch recorded a series of videos which show aggressive conflicts with neighbours and offer a glimpse into his tumultuous life inside the rooming house.

Police said the property was known to have a problem with squatters and tenant disputes - including the morning before the homicide, when police were called to the building over a dispute between MacCullouch and neighbours. Bereziuk previously said there was no evidence the people in the earlier dispute were involved in the homicide.

Bereziuk said the videos helped investigators get a sense of the environment MacCullouch was living in prior to his death, but they didn't lend to murder."

This was largely solved as quickly as it was thanks to input from the public, which we've seen more of recently and are really thankful for," Bereziuk said, adding video surveillance in the area also contributed to the arrest.

Sebastian Bron is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sbron@thespec.com