Winnipeg hosts trial for accused Canadian serial killer Jeremy Skibicki
Jeremy Skibicki, accused of four counts of first-degree murder, has entered a plea of not guilty. However, his defense made a surprising announcement on Monday, revealing that Skibicki acknowledges the killings but intends to argue that he is not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.
The families of the victims are adamant about holding him accountable for the murders. Skibicki’s victims, Morgan Harris (39), Marcedes Myran (26), Rebecca Contois (24), and an unidentified woman referred to as Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe or Buffalo Woman, were all First Nations women.
According to prosecutors, Skibicki, a Winnipeg native in his mid-30s, allegedly lured the women to his home, sexually assaulted them, and then murdered them between March and May of 2022. His arrest followed the discovery of Ms. Contois’s remains in a garbage bin and at a local landfill.
Authorities suspect that the bodies of Ms. Harris and Ms. Myran were disposed of at a separate landfill north of the city, with their remains still undiscovered. The whereabouts of the fourth victim, Buffalo Woman, remain unknown.
The Crown prosecutors have consented to the trial, initially planned for a jury, proceeding with a judge alone.
Previously, Jeremy Skibicki’s legal team’s plea to forego a jury was initially rejected. However, on Monday, the trial judge granted their request following the defense’s pursuit of a not criminally responsible verdict.
Jurors who had been selected in late April to preside over the case are anticipated to be formally discharged on Wednesday morning.
The trial is expected to continue through early June.
MMIWG (Murdered-And-Missing-Woman)
The murders of the four women triggered widespread concern in Canada, where there is a disproportionately high number of indigenous women and girls who are either murdered or reported missing.
In 2014, the federal statistics agency revealed that indigenous women are six times more likely to fall victim to homicide compared to non-indigenous women.
The case has garnered ongoing attention as the families of the victims have been advocating for the government to authorize and fund the search of the Prairie Green landfill, where the remains of Ms. Myran and Ms. Harris are believed to be located.
Initially, the provincial Manitoba government declined, citing challenges in locating the remains, financial constraints, and concerns regarding worker safety due to hazardous substances at the site.
However, following a change in government leadership with the election of Premier Wab Kinew, who is indigenous, the province changed its stance. A joint funding effort between the province and Ottawa, totaling C$40 million ($29 million; £23.3 million), has been earmarked for the search. It is anticipated that the search will commence later this year.
