[UPDATE] Arrest made in YorkU student Qian Liu's death

News Department

[UPDATE:] Toronto police arrested and charged a Toronto resident with first degree murder in the death of Qian Liu. Police asked media not to release a photo of the man – Brian Dickson, 29 – at this time. He appeared in court April 21. Excalibur will continue to update any breaks in the story.
Toronto police have identified the woman who was found dead April 15 in a basement apartment in the Village at York University.
Qian Necole Liu, a 23-year-old student who came to Canada in January and was studying at the York University English Language Institute (YUELI) on a student visa, was found dead at her off-campus Village residence at 27 Aldwinckle Heights.
Liu’s boyfriend, who is overseas in China, told police he was engaged in an online conversation with Liu when she answered her door around 1:00 a.m. A physical struggle ensued between Liu and the man at the door – who initially asked to use her cellular phone – while her boyfriend looked on, until the unknown man turned off the computer.

The computer, an IBM ThinkPad T400, is still missing. The police have labeled the man a person of interest, and describe him as a tall white male with a muscular build and medium length brown hair between 20 and 30 years old.
Her boyfriend alerted friends of the incident via internet; they contacted police. Liu was found dead by the time authorities arrived, approximately 10 hours later.
Excalibur approached YUELI and the Chinese consulate in Toronto. YUELI declined comment, while the Chinese consulate only mentioned there would be a related media release April 19.
Police and forensics were seen on site moving in and out of the residence, though they declined comment.
According to Tony Vella, a Toronto police officer working on the case, ensuring student safety is one of the major issues at hand.
“The [roommates] have been spoken to. Obviously it was a very traumatic experience […] their safety is our first concern,” he said. “We are trying to determine if it was an isolated incident or if it was random.”
Vella said Toronto Police are currently speaking with York security and the public relations department to make sure the school population is safe.
Fourth-year kinesiology student Marco Manca says that for students living in the village, the incident has struck very close to home.
“A lot of us have lived in this Village area for so long,” he said. “[My] friend that lives here has been deeply affected because he’s met the victim.”
Manca’s friend – who was living at the same residence as Liu, though he was not at home at the time of the murder – has since moved back to his family residence.
“He has to move his stuff back to his [family residence],” said Manca. “He’s waiting on word when he can do that, because right now he’s not allowed.”
Alexandra Shiman, a fourth-year student who lives in the Village, feels unsafe in the wake of the incident.
“I’ve always felt uncomfortable living in this area, but my fears have increased since hearing about the murder,” she said.
Anyone with information about the incident or the person of interest is asked to call police at 416-808-7399 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477.
With files from Kate Hudson, Yuni Kim, Jacqueline Perlin and Michael Sholars