The Greyhound Bus Murder of Tim McLean

On July 30, 2008, Tim McLean boarded Greyhound Bus #1170 and prepared for a 24-hour trip to Winnipeg to visit his family and girlfriend, Colleen. Tim worked as a carnival barker and looked forward to seeing everyone since he had been away from his loved ones for quite some time.

Tim chose a seat in the rear of the bus, away from other passengers. He texted friends and listened to music for most of the trip.

A Chinese immigrant named Vince Li boarded the bus at the Erickson, Manitoba, pickup location.  Li was a Canadian citizen who relocated to Winnipeg in 2001 after splitting with his wife. He had spent the night on a bench near the bus station, waiting for the 1170 bus. While he waited, Li sold some of his belongings, including a laptop.  

Vince sat at the front of the bus. Tim continued texting and enjoying his music. About an hour into the ride on the TransCanada Highway, the bus pulled into a rest stop for a scheduled break. Passengers, including Li, exited the bus to stretch their legs, use the restroom, grab drinks and snacks, or get a brief change of scenery.

Li returned to the bus, selecting a seat beside Tim. 

Tim acknowledged Li with a head nod, returned his headphones to his ears, and quickly placed his head on the window and closed his eyes.

Li Attacks McLean

The bus traveled quietly and uneventfully down the TransCanada Highway until screams rang out at around 8:30 p.m. at about an hour after resuming the trip.

Vince Li had attacked Tim McLean with a large hunting knife and was repeatedly stabbing him in the back. Tim fought back but could not overpower the knife. He fell to the floor as chaos erupted on the bus among the frantic passengers.

The bus driver pulled over and opened the door so passengers could exit. He pleaded with Li to stop the attack and attempted to walk toward him. Li focused his attention on the bus driver, causing him to run off the bus and join the group of passengers watching the grisly murder from the outside.

With only himself and Tim on board, Li barricaded the bus door shut and concentrated on his badly injured victim.

Officers from the RMP arrived about 30 minutes later and transported passengers to a safe location. They did nothing to stop Li’s attack.

Over the next four hours, Li repeatedly stabbed Tim. he decapitated his head and held it in the window for the horrified crowd. He mutilated Tim’s body and consumed parts of his heart and flesh.

Li broke a window on the bus and tried climbing out.  Officers tased him twice and put him in handcuffs. They found Tim’s ear, nose,  and tongue in Li’s pockets.

Police found parts of Tim’s body in plastic bags. Some of his body parts, including his eyes and parts of his heart, were never found and presumed to have been consumed by Li.

In 2009, Li was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to a psychiatric hospital. In 2016, doctors determined he no longer posed a threat to society and deserved a second chance at life. Doctors had granted Li supervised and unsupervised visits with family while at the hospital.

Doctors said he did not know he was schizophrenic before being placed in the facility, and had a deep understanding of his condition and its treatment. He was released from the facility and changed his name to Will Baker.

Authorities later released documents transcribing an interview between Li and a therapist who said he thought he was attacking an alien.  Li explained to the therapist how God told him that Tim McLean was an alien and he needed to destroy him so Tim could not destroy other people.

Li expressed remorse for his crime and has stated he hopes Tim’s family can find it in their hearts to forgive him.

In 2014, one of the first officers to arrive on the scene of the Greyhound murder, Corporal Ken Barker, committed suicide. His family said the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) acquired from this incident was a contributing factor.

My deepest condolences to Tim's family as well as everyone involved in this tragedy.

Resources & More Information:

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna25966835

https://murderpedia.org/male.L/images/li_vince/10-review-board-disposition-reasons-vince-li.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawJuZpJleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHm30yzKLwU8jD_qNnAgxvLZREzC9exzripytV66l-3hLz_KfQnZMbz5DCVfO_aem_tth25t1T1Ht13avWibQSSw

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/greyhound-killer-believed-man-he-beheaded-was-an-alien-1.1131575

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/will-baker-kayli-shaw-not-free-1.3979368

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/vince-li-discharge-1.3977278