Canadian serial killer Jeremy Skibicki has been sentenced to four life sentences for the 2022 murders of four Indigenous women in Winnipeg.
He showed no reaction when the verdict was read and showed no emotion as the victims’ families made angry impact statements in court on Wednesday.
Prosecutors argued that Skibicki, 37, intentionally killed four women in 2022 and that his crimes were racially motivated.
He has pleaded not guilty due to mental disorder.
WARNING: This story contains details that readers may find distressing.
The murder and subsequent trial sent shockwaves through Canada’s Indigenous communities, which have long grappled with cases of violence against women.
The victims included 39-year-old Morgan Harris, 26-year-old Marcedes Myran and 24-year-old Rebecca Contois. Her identity has not yet been determined, but Aboriginal elders named her Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, which means “Buffalo Woman.”
Throughout the trial, a buffalo head was placed on a red cloth on a table near prosecutors in memory of the still-unidentified victim.
The remains of both victims are believed to remain in a Winnipeg landfill. After months of pressure from family members, a formal search has been scheduled for this fall.
According to court documents, Skibicki killed the women between March and May 2022, with Ms. Contois believed to be the final victim.
He met at least two people at a local homeless shelter in Winnipeg, a Prairie city of 820,000 people.
During the trial, the court heard Skibicki attacked the women, strangled or drowned them, then performed sex acts on them before dismembering their bodies and throwing them in rubbish bins.
The killings went undetected for months until May 2022, when a man searching for scrap metal in a dumpster outside Skibiki’s apartment discovered partial human remains and called police.
The killer shocked police when he confessed to three other murders while being questioned over Ms Comtois’s death.
Skibicki’s lawyers have tried to argue that he did not realize the seriousness of his actions due to delusions caused by schizophrenia. They argued that he heard voices telling him that committing these crimes was part of God’s mission.
He will not be eligible for parole until he is at least 60 years old and will not be eligible for parole for at least 25 years.
Judge Glenn Joyal said: “Mr Skibicki, there is no doubt that the only sentence I can impose today, given the current state of the law, will not adequately reflect the seriousness of these offences.”
The women “were the predators and targets of a white supremacist for his necrophilic killings,” the judge said.
Multiple family members and representatives from Aboriginal communities submitted impact statements to the court.
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kathy Merrick said: “The heinous crimes committed by Mr. Skibiki have left deep scars on First Nations and the impact of his actions will be felt for generations. .
“Despite the enormous challenges, the community remains resilient.”
