Jeremy Skibicki, a Canadian serial killer, has received four life sentences for the 2022 killings of four Indigenous women in Winnipeg.
He had no reaction as the punishment was given, and he remained emotionless as family members of victims made angry impact statements in court on Wednesday.
Skibicki, 37, was accused by prosecutors of killing four people in 2022 as part of a premeditated and racially motivated crime.
However, he pleaded not guilty owing to a mental illness.
The killings and following trial sent shockwaves through Canada’s Indigenous society, which has long dealt with violence against women.
The victims are Morgan Harris, 39; Marcedes Myran, 26; and Rebecca Contois, who was 24. The fourth woman has yet to be identified and was given the name Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, meaning Buffalo Woman, by Indigenous elders.
Throughout the trial, a buffalo head sat on a red cloth on a table near the prosecutors as a memorial to the still-unidentified victim.
The bodies of two victims are thought to still reside in a landfill in Winnipeg.
A formal search has been scheduled for this autumn, following months of pressure from their relatives.
According to court documents, Skibicki murdered the women between March and May 2022, with Ms. Contois thought to be the final victim.
He met at least two at local homeless shelters in Winnipeg, Manitoba’s 820,000-person city.
During the trial, the court heard that Skibicki raped the ladies, strangled or drowned them, and then performed sex acts on them before dismembering and disposing of their bodies in garbage cans.
The crimes went unnoticed for months until a guy rummaging for scrap metal in trash outside Skibicki’s apartment discovered partial human remains in May 2022 and contacted authorities.
During his interrogation for Ms. Contois’ killing, the murderer surprised authorities by confessing to three additional murders.
Skibicki’s lawyers attempted to argue that he was unaware of the gravity of his acts as a result of schizophrenia-related delusions.
They said he was hearing voices instructing him to conduct the crimes as part of God’s mission.
He will not be eligible for parole for at least 25 years, or until he reaches the age of 60.
“Make no mistake. Mr. Skibicki, because of the current state of the law, the only available sentence that I can impose today will regrettably not adequately reflect the gravity of these offences,” said Judge Glen Joyal.
The women, according to the judge, “were preyed upon and targeted by a white supremacist who was acting upon his homicidal necrophilia.”
Several family members and representatives from First Nation communities delivered impact statements to the court.
“The heinous crimes committed by Mr. Skibicki have left a deep scar on First Nations people, and the reverberations of his actions will be felt for generations,” said Grand Chief Cathy Merrick of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.
“Despite the overwhelming challenges, the community remains resilient.”
