'Outrageous' rhetoric alleged in emails as Steven Galloway defamation trial continues
Cara Woodruff, a UBC creative writing graduate, told the civil trial where Galloway alleges defamation that she received an email in November 2015 from Chelsea Rooney, who was collecting complaints against Galloway. Woodruff said the email from Rooney contained "inflated and outrageous" rhetoric.
Researcher Steven Gruzd met alleged killers at an Airbnb in Johannesburg, court evidence suggests, as a link emerges between the murder and "Grindr gang" incidents targeting men who have sex with men. Gruzd, the head of the African Governance and Diplomacy Programme at the South African Institute of International Affairs, was found dead on March 28, 2026, after going to a meeting in Corlett Gardens.
His body was discovered the next day at George Goch Hostel, 20km away, with blunt force trauma to the neck. Five men were arrested and charged with robbery, kidnapping, murder, and defeating the ends of justice. Fingerprint evidence and DNA found in a car link the suspects to the scene. CCTV showed Gruzd and the suspects entering the Airbnb separately.
Police have not confirmed how Gruzd and the suspects knew each other, but a Grindr user matching Gruzd's profile said he was "very active" on the app, raising concerns about the involvement of online criminal syndicates. Similar incidents involving "Grindr gangs" have been documented in other South African cities since 2023, with the true extent of the problem likely underreported due to stigma and fear of being outed.
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