Cannibal Pleads Guilty to Eating Kevin Bacon

A Michigan man pleaded guilty to murder and mutilation of a dead body on Thursday.

Mark Latunski admitted he killed 25-year-old Kevin Bacon in December 2019, after meeting him on a dating app.

He had been due to appear in court for a plea hearing on October 13, ahead of a trial starting on October 18.

Previously Latunski had pleaded not guilty, with his attorney making an insanity defense based on a long history of mental illness.

Bacon was reported missing by his family on Christmas Day 2019, after not showing up for breakfast as expected.

Police spoke to his roommate who said Bacon had gone to visit a man he met on Grindr, a dating app predominantly for gay, bisexual and trans men, the previous night.

This led investigators to Latunski's home in Shiawassee County.

Latunski confessed to killing Bacon with a knife. His body was found suspended from the ceiling. Police say he also removed parts of Bacon's body, which he cooked and ate, according to court documents.

Speaking to local network WILX after the murder Karl Bacon, Kevin's father, paid tribute to his son.

He said: "He obviously got into something he wasn't prepared for. We all make mistakes. It's gut wrenching to hear the details and we're just beside ourselves.

"What was released today shows Kevin had a dark side. For those who knew and loved Kevin did not know that side. Those who knew him knew his good side. He loved and cherished everyone he touched and he touched a lot of lives in the past."

Police have been investigating Latunski's wider involvement in bondage and sadomasochism.

Officers spoke with two of Latunski's other Grindr dates who reportedly fled his home in fall 2019, a 29-year-old man from Lansing and a middle-aged New Yorker.

Speaking to the Washington Post David Kaiser, a Michigan State Police first lieutenant, said Latunski is not being charged in relation to these incidents.

He commented: "If those are consensual and we don't have a victim, then you don't have a crime.

"A lot of times what we're learning is people within [BDSM] culture are very private and don't want to share a lot of information."

Michigan State Police are continuing to investigate Latunski's activities and believe there may be more potential victims, who they are urging to come forward.

Following the killing Grindr said it was "heartbroken and horrified" by the incident and "fully committed to working with law enforcement" who are investigating the case.

In December 2019 the actor Kevin Bacon offered condolences on Instagram to the friends and family of the man with whom he shared a name.

"For obvious reasons I'm thinking this morning about the friends and Family of this young person Kevin Bacon," he wrote.

In January 2022 a Berlin teacher was convicted of murdering a 43-year-old man in Germany as part in his "cannibalism fantasies."

The previous December an Idaho man was charged with murdering and partially eating his 70-year-old neighbor.

Bob Lee Allen, 54, was sentenced to at least 12 years behind bars in September 2021, after being convicted of illegally castrating a man. Allen reportedly told his victim he was "going to consume the parts" after they had been removed.

Update 09/23/2022, 9:15 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional background information.