The family of Chris Skinner announced Tuesday that the reward for information leading to the conviction of his killer has been upped to $100,000. 

Skinner, a gay man, was walking home from his sister's birthday party in Toronto's entertainment disctrict on Oct 18 when, at the corner of Victoria and Adelaide, he was beaten to the ground by at least three men who then fatally drove over him with an SUV. 

Check out Xtra's coverage of the Skinner case here. 

There were several witnesses to the attack, CCTV video of the SUV and Skinner in the moments before the attack and at least three men in the suspect SUV, but so far police have not had a break in the case. On Dec 8 the Toronto Police Service (TPS) announced a $50,000 reward for information leading the conviction of Skinner's killer. The balance of the $100,000 is from the Skinner family and donations to a reward fund. Read about how you can contribute to the award fund here.

Anyone with information about Skinner's murder is asked to contact Toronto Police Service Detective Stacy Gallant at 416−808−7410, or Crime Stoppers at 416−222−8477. And Xtra here.   
 

The Toronto Police Service announced a $50,000 reward this morning for information leading to the conviction of the men who murdered Toronto gay man Chris Skinner. In addition to the money offered by police, Skinner's family has offered at least $25,000. Skinner's father Warren Skinner asked for donations to the reward fund in an effort to increase the reward even more. 

Skinner was walking home from a birthday celebration for his sister in Toronto's entertainment disctrict in the early hours of Oct 18. As he attempted to hail a cab, he was attacked by a group of men. They beat Skinner to the ground near Adelaide and Victoria Sts, then returned to their SUV and drove over him with both the front and rear wheels, killing him. Read how this story unfolded here.

There were several eye witnesses to the attack, and at least three men involved. Police previously released CCTV images of the SUV and Skinner captured in the moments prior to the attack.

Those interested in contributing to the reward fund for Skinner are asked to send their donations to:

Warren Skinner in trust
195 Main St S.
Newmarket, Ont
L3Y 3Y9 

Anyone with information is asked to contact Toronto Police detective Stacey Gallant at (416) 808-7410 or Crime Stoppers at (416) 222-8477 and Xtra at matt.mills@xtra.ca.

While making a pit stop on a rural road near Markham, Ont in 1980 a motorist stumbled across the skeletal remains of a young man.

Along with the body police found a pair of ladies red high-heeled shoes, white socks, jeans and a powder compact with mirror. All of this is believed to belong to the victim. He – she – was a cross dresser.  

The victim was white between 25 to 40 years old when he was killed. He stood approximately 5’6’’ tall with a slim build, weighing between 100 and 120 pounds and had dark brown hair. He was quietly buried in a pauper’s grave and to this day his identity remains a mystery.  

On Dec 1 York Regional Police unveiled a sculpture of what his face may have looked like in life along with a sketch of how he may have been dressed before he was murdered. Check out the press release here. 

This is just one of at least three cold cases involving victims with ties to Toronto’s gay communities. In two other cases, forensic sculptures, like the one of the Markham man, have led police to identify long-nameless victims. Read Xtra's investiagion into the murders of Dick Hovey and Eric Jones here.    

James Henry Greenidge remains in prison in BC.   

It was so long ago but let’s give this person his name back. Do you recognize him from the pics below? Anyone with information is asked to contact the York Homicide Unit at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7864, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, and Xtra at matt.mills@xtra.ca. 

A candlelight vigil has been planned for Chris Skinner, the Toronto gay man who was murdered on Oct 18.

Christopher Skinner Vigil.

Church and Wellesley.

Sun, Oct 25, 8pm.

Facebook event: Christopher Skinner Vigil 

From the Facebook event:

"A young gay man, Christopher Skinner, was savagely attacked and murdered while walking home from his sister's birthday party this past Saturday night in downtown Toronto. Although the police have been reluctant to call this a 'hate crime', Chris' sexuality was undoubtedly a factor in this otherwise unprovoked attack. It is a stark reminder that queer bashing is still an all too common occurrence in Canada."

At a press conference yesterday, police released an image of the SUV implicated in the murder. They also said they were not pursuing the case as a hate crime at this time.

Read more in Xtra's coverage of the Chris Skinner murder

Toronto Police have released a short surveillance video of the black SUV implicated in the murder of Chris Skinner, a 27-year-old gay man. Read Xtra's full update on the news conference -- a brief summary of the new details below:

The three-second surveillance video shows the vehicle driving eastbound through the intersection of Bay and Adelaide streets around 3am, Oct 18.

The video was played for reporters at the press conference, and police said that it would available online after the conference. We'll post a link here when it's available (but to be honest, there's not much to see). (UPDATE, 7:30pm: We now have a screencap of the video, shown at right).

Police describe the vehicle as a black, four-door SUV, with tinted rear windows. The interior is a light colour -- either tan or grey -- and the vehicle has high-intensity headlights.

Police also released a limited description of the SUV's driver. He is described as light-skinned, with very short hair ("military-style"). He was wearing a tight black tank top. Police say the man is likely under the age of 30.

When asked if there is any indication that the attack was a hate crime, Detective Stacy Gallant said that there is currently "no evidence" suggesting that.

A memorial service for Skinner was held in Uxbridge today.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Stacy Gallant at 416−808−7410 and Detective Doug Dunstan at 416−808−7406, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416−222−8477 or online at 222tips.com. And Xtra here. 

Read more:

• Gay man murdered in downtown Toronto