Winnipeg man pleads guilty to killing four women, will not face criminal charges

WINNIPEG – A man has admitted in court to killing four women in Winnipeg, but his lawyers are asking that he not be charged because of his mental illness.

Crown Jury Chairman Glenn Joyal said on Monday that the question of Jeremy Skibicki's mental capacity and intent will now be the focus of the trial.

Because of the complexity of this type of defense, which was supposed to be by jury, the Crown agreed that the judge would instead hear it alone.

“There will be some difficulties in concluding this matter before a jury,” said prosecutor Christian Vanderhooft.

The trial will begin on Wednesday.

Skibicki, 37, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder.

His lawyers last week demanded that the case be heard only before a judge. They argued that a jury trial would violate Skibicki's right to a fair trial because of the importance of pretrial publicity.

Attorneys also expressed concern that jurors would be prejudiced by Skibicki's use of the non-criminal defense. They cited the results of a survey in which more than half of the respondents believed that Skibicki could not be prosecuted.

Skibicki's attorney, Leonard Tyler, said Monday they plan to call an expert to speak with the no-criminal defense.

“We're ready for anything … ready to go,” Tyler told reporters.

Acknowledgment of criminal liability means that the accused was unable to assess the nature and quality of the act due to mental disorder. The person will be detained in the hospital until the inspection commission determines that he is not a danger to society.

The case began in 2022, when the partial remains of Rebecca Contois were found in a dumpster and in a city landfill.

The case quickly involved three more victims.

Police believe the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Mayran are at another, privately owned landfill outside the city, the Prairie Green Landfill.

The location of the fourth victim – an unidentified woman identified by local leaders as the Buffalo Woman – is unknown.

Harris' family said they were surprised by the revelations in court Monday, but were glad the trial was being held in front of a judge.

“This man killed four of our women and he will be held accountable,” Harris' cousin Melissa Robinson said.

Nationwide protests erupted after police said they would not search the landfill, citing safety concerns over the complexity of the search for Harris and Mayran and the presence of toxic materials.

Last month, the federal and Manitoba governments committed $40 million to search for the site.

This Canadian Press report was first published on May 6, 2024.

Brittany Hobson, Canadian Press