A Winnipeg man has admitted to killing 4 women but will not face criminal charges

WINNIPEG – The family of one of the four women killed by a defendant said they were shocked Monday to hear she confessed to the killing before her trial began.

They warned that the fight is not over yet.

“This man killed four of our women and he will be held accountable,” Morgan Harris' cousin Melissa Robinson told reporters outside court.

“All was justice for my cousin, and we shall have it.”

Jeremy Skibicki, 37, previously pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the 2022 deaths of Harris, Rebecca Contois, Marcedes Mayran and a fourth unidentified woman.

Skibicki sat in a prisoner's box with his feet shackled and silent as his lawyers told Chief Justice Glenn Joyal that their client had killed four women but should not be charged because of an unknown mental disorder.

Skibicki's reception comes with a twist.

Jurors were selected in late April, but last week, before they began hearing evidence, Skibicki's attorneys repeated their request that the judge discharge the jury and try the case himself.

They argue that significant pretrial publicity can affect a jury's ability to reach an impartial verdict.

They also found that more than half of Manitobans polled believed Skibicki would not be prosecuted.

The judge denied the request for protection.

After the defense formally announced plans for a not guilty plea Monday, prosecutors shifted gears and agreed to a judge-only trial, citing the complexity of that type of defense.

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

“We are no longer concerned with proving that the accused committed these crimes, but with bringing him to criminal responsibility.”

The judge accepted the re-election, saying that the question of Skibicki's mental capacity and intent will now be the focus of the trial.

Joyal will call jurors on Wednesday to formally discharge them before they begin hearing evidence.

Acknowledgment of criminal liability means that the accused was unable to assess the nature and quality of his actions 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.

Skibicki's attorney, Leonard Tyler, said the defense plans to call an expert to speak with a non-criminal defense.

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

Vanderhooft told the court the Crown has received a copy of the defense's expert report and plans to bring in its own expert to rebut the findings.

Skibicki's attorneys may face an uphill battle, one law professor said.

“This is not just one victim. This is a long period of time involving four victims,” ​​said Brandon Trask, an assistant professor of law at the University of Manitoba.

“I think we're going to see some experts called in.”

The Crown said it intended to present evidence showing a pattern of conduct. Skibicki was charged with violence against other women.

In 2019, a woman obtained a protective order against him, accusing him of stalking her and repeatedly sexually assaulting her while she slept.

The murder case began in the spring of 2022, when Contois' partial remains were found in a dumpster and at a landfill in the city. Police believe the remains of Harris and Mayran were located on another, private property outside the city known as the Prairie Green Landfill.

The location of Buffalo Woman is unknown.

Protests took place across the country after police said they would not search the Prairie Green Landfill for Harris and Myran, citing safety concerns over the complexity of such a search and the presence of toxic materials.

The decision called on governments and organizations to address the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.

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 and Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press