A Winnipeg court heard a search for clues to a “serial killer” found on the killer's computer

WINNIPEG – A police investigator tasked with examining the computer of a Winnipeg man who confessed to killing four women searched the Internet for what a serial killer meant.

Riley Johansson testified at the murder trial that she spent months online searching Jeremy Skibicki's computer for the time of the 2022 murders of four local women.

“My goal was to provide some of this data … to help narrow down the search for any additional victims,” ​​Johannson said Tuesday in the third week of the trial.

Skibicki, 37, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the killing of Rebecca Contois, 24; Morgan Harris, 39; Marcedes Mairan, 26; and the unidentified woman was referred to by indigenous leaders as Mashkode Bijikiikwe or Buffalo Woman.

Skibicki's lawyers have admitted he killed the women, but say he will not face criminal charges because of his mental illness.

Crown prosecutors said the killings were racially motivated and that Skibicki preyed on vulnerable victims at a homeless shelter.

The court heard that Skibicki attacked his victims, strangled or drowned them and dumped their bodies in neighboring rubbish bins. Both were dismantled.

Johannson said part of his job was to corroborate information Skibicki gave to police after he was arrested in May 2022 for killing Contois, whose partial remains were found in a dumpster near Skibicki. Later, most of his remains were found in a landfill.

Skibicki admitted to police that he had killed three others, but did not know the names of the two women.

Johansson said he created a picture of each victim based on the search history on Skibicki's computer.

Police believe Skibicki's first victim was a Buffalo woman. Skibicki told police he killed her on March 15, 2022.

In the days that followed, Johansson found among some Internet searches: “Do fingerprints appear on plastic wrap?” said. and “How well does bleach remove fingerprints?”

Johansson also found a search related to “explosive anger disorder.”

After killing Skibicki's third victim, Mairan, a search for “serial killer clues” began on his computer, Johansson said.

He added that numerous requests for garbage collection, missing persons reports and news were found in the days following each killing.

This Canadian Press report was first published on May 21, 2024.

Brittany Hobson, Canadian Press