U.S. fugitive arrested in Toronto led double life as 'psychic'

Thomas Daigle · CBC News

· Posted: May 15, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

A U.S. fugitive connected the tally from authorities successful Florida for much than 2 decades has been arrested successful Toronto aft surviving successful the metropolis — retired successful the unfastened — for years, CBC News has learned. 

Patrick Lutts Jr. faces manslaughter charges stemming from a drunk-driving clang that killed 2 teens successful Orlando connected Christmas Day 1998.

Lutts, 51, vanished aft skipping a plea proceeding successful 2003, lone to aboriginal re-emerge successful Toronto arsenic a self-styled psychic and big of a section bar's monthly trivia night, according to tribunal records and online posts reviewed by CBC. 

Lutts' online beingness successful caller years paints the representation of a antheral with a engaged societal life. A fearfulness movie aficionado, helium enjoyed skis trips, stone concerts and predominant drinks with friends.

There's nary motion his acquaintances successful Toronto knew thing astir his presumption arsenic a wanted man, oregon the early-morning clang that killed 19-year-old Nancy Lopez and her fellow Darvin Javier DeJesus-Taboada, 18.

According to investigators, the mates were thrown respective metres erstwhile Lutts — with a "strong odor of intoxicant coming from his breath" aft a nighttime of drinking — slammed his pickup motortruck into their vehicle.

Lutts was recovered to person had a blood-alcohol level of 0.272 — more than 3 times the ineligible limit.

"He didn't adjacent telephone to apologize oregon to accidental I'm sorry," Lopez's parent Nelida Leon told Orlando's WFTV successful 2014. The household was clinging to anticipation that Lutts would 1 time beryllium found.

"If helium doesn't get justness here," Leon said astatine the time, "God's going to punish this guy."

Toronto constabulary spokesperson Stephanie Sayer confirmed the agency's fugitive squad arrested Lutts connected Feb. 26 "on the spot of an apprehension warrant issued nether the Canadian Extradition Act." He's scheduled to look successful a downtown tribunal aboriginal this month.

Anonymous tips led constabulary to fugitive

An anonymous extremity to a Crime Stoppers-type work successful Florida successful November 2023 archetypal led authorities to fishy Lutts whitethorn beryllium successful Canada, according to a summary of authorities prosecutors' grounds successful the case, filed successful Ontario Superior Court arsenic portion of extradition proceedings.

Lutts was placed nether surveillance and constabulary determined helium was living successful a high-rise flat gathering successful Toronto's Church and Wellesley area.

It's unclear however – oregon erstwhile – Lutts came to Canada. According to Ontario tribunal files, helium has nary ineligible presumption successful the state and the Canada Border Services Agency has nary grounds of his entry.

Lutts tried to transverse the borderline from New York to Niagara Falls, Ont., connected Sept. 29, 2003 — two days earlier a cardinal tribunal proceeding — but was turned distant owed to the transgression charges successful Florida, according to a constabulary affidavit.

A Toronto nonmigratory with Lutts' name appears connected a database of participants successful a section 10-kilometre run successful May 2005, suggesting Lutts whitethorn person settled successful the metropolis by then, portion openly utilizing his existent name. Florida authorities had already been connected the lookout for him for a twelvemonth and a half.

In caller years, Lutts appears to person avoided utilizing his existent sanction online. He alternatively went by the alias Pat Lighthelp, including connected LifeReader, a level for "psychic readings." Lutts' nationalist illustration shows helium charged $4.50 US per infinitesimal to chat with clients and supply narration assistance and beingness coaching.

"As an empathic and intuitive psychic reader," Lutts wrote, "I specialize successful providing nonstop penetration and clarity to matters of the heart, peculiarly erstwhile it comes to emotion and relationships."

Once a month, Lutts co-hosted a fashionable horror-themed trivia nighttime astatine a barroom successful Toronto's 2SLGBTQ+ neighbourhood and often promoted the lawsuit connected Facebook.

Lutts evaded constabulary before

Lutts has a past of evading arrest.

By the clip Florida prosecutors laid DUI manslaughter charges against him for the 1998 incident, Lutts was already obscurity to beryllium found. He surfaced again successful 2002 aft authorities said helium was progressive successful different impaired-driving clang successful Connecticut, according to tribunal files.

Lutts was arrested and sent backmost to Florida, wherever helium posted a $5,000 US enslaved and was released from custody. Public records amusement Lutts failed to look for a plea proceeding scheduled for Oct. 1, 2003 and remained connected the lam until his caller apprehension successful Toronto.

"Our bureau is actively moving connected extraditing Patrick Lutts backmost to Florida," a spokesperson for authorities lawyer Monique H. Worrell said successful a little email to CBC.

Canada's Justice Department, which handles extradition requests, declined to remark connected the case. A Florida-based lawyer who antecedently represented Lutts did not respond to requests for comment. 

If you person a quality extremity related to this story, interaction CBC News elder newsman Thomas Daigle by email: [email protected].