Inquest into Winnipeg serial killer raises questions

A survey seeking public input on a Winnipeg man accused of killing four Indigenous women has raised questions about why it's being conducted and whether the results will be helpful.

The online surveyconducted a national survey Mainstreet Researchexamines society's perception of Jeremy Skibicki, 36, who will go on trial this spring after pleading not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in November.

Skibicki has been charged in the 2022 deaths of three First Nations women – Marcedes Mayran, 26, Morgan Harris, 39, and Rebecca Contois, 24 – and a fourth, unidentified woman named Mashkode Bijikikwe, or Buffalo Woman. , local community.

Respondents to the survey are first asked whether they are Manitoba residents, at least 18 years old, and whether they work in the judicial system, such as whether they recognize Skibicki's name and have formed an opinion of him. fault.

Mainstreet Research president Kito Maggi confirmed to CBC News on Tuesday that the survey was commissioned by Legal Aid Manitoba, where Skibicki's lawyers work.

Maggi would not say how much Legal Aid Manitoba paid for the poll or whether the final results would be made public, but said Mainstreet has conducted similar polls several times in the past.

About 90 percent Legal Aid Manitoba 2023 operating funding from the province.

Legal Aid Manitoba executive director Peter Kingsley declined to comment.

'disappointing'

The survey presents three criminal defenses: immunity from criminal liability due to mental disorder, problematic DNA evidence, and self-defense. It asks respondents their overall view of each defense and how likely they would be to reach a not guilty verdict for Skibicki based on them.

Vancouver-based criminal defense lawyer Anthony Robinson said the questions could point to a way forward for the defense after Skibicki was denied a single judge's case in late January.

“Are they blowing the water on a substantive defense? Or are they trying to repeat their motion to re-elect the judge because they believe they won't get a fair trial involving Mr. Skibicki? The jury?” – said Robinson.

“I don't think the defense attorney has to tell anyone.”

He's never seen the type of polls used in Canada before, but that doesn't mean they don't exist, and he says mock juries are sometimes created in the U.S. to determine which defenses are most likely to sway jurors.

Robinson said Legal Aid Manitoba may be investing in Skibicki's case because it's “very unusual” and the serious allegations against him mean the stakes are high.

He noted similarities between Skibicki's case and his Robert Pickton, convicted in December 2007 Second-degree murder in the deaths of six women who disappeared on Vancouver's downtown Eastside was the largest serial killing investigation in Canadian history.

“We've seen a tremendous amount of resources devoted to actual defense because it's obviously a very large-scale case,” Robinson said.

However, Skibicki's defense could face obstacles if the survey's goal is to use the results to renew the judge's subpoena for a separate trial, he said.

“Just because people answer a survey one way doesn't mean they won't change their views after a judge gives them instructions on how to apply the law to certain facts.”

Cambria Harris, daughter of Morgan Harris, shared a link to the survey on social media on Tuesday, urging people to fill it out.

“How ignorant this survey is to the families who are currently dealing with stress and grief every day,” he wrote.

But Robinson says defense attorneys should act in the best interest of their clients without fear of offending some people.

“This does not mean that the survey is inappropriate or should not be done. It may be inappropriate or should not be done for various reasons, I don't know, but not because it will be unpopular with a certain group of people,” he said.

“As a defense attorney, you have a duty to act in your client's best interest. Often, this involves presenting unpopular arguments.”

After contacting Legal Aid Manitoba and Mainstreet on Tuesday, CBC News noticed a pop-up message on the online poll later that evening indicating it had been changed.

At least one question appears to have been omitted from the survey: “Based on what you have seen, read, or heard about these women and the man accused of their deaths, what could have caused their deaths? ..?'

There were four answers to the question: money, race, gender, and status.

Robinson said he wasn't sure what the question meant.

“I don't know what the answers to this question will be. It seems strange to me.'

Skibicki's six-week trial begins on April 29, with jury selection scheduled for April 25.