Winnipeg man who pleaded guilty to murdering 4 women to be heard by judge alone

The trial of a Winnipeg man accused of murdering four women will now be heard by a judge alone, a change that comes after Jeremy Skibicki's lawyers said they would plead guilty to killing the women but not face criminal charges.

The Crown said it was no longer necessary to prove that Skibicki, 37, caused the women's deaths, and prosecutors were now ready to proceed with a jury trial – something they had previously vehemently opposed.

Crown attorney Christian Vanderhooft released an update in court Monday morning, saying the changes in their case came after Skibicki's attorneys first said last week that their client planned to plead guilty to the unlawful killings of all four women in 2022, but he argued otherwise. criminal liability due to mental disorder.

Skibicki has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of three women — Morgan Harris, 39, Marcedes Mayran, 26, and Rebecca Contois, 24 — and a fourth, unidentified woman. Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe or Buffalo Woman by community members.

Vanderhooft said prosecutors will now focus on proving that Skibicki is criminally responsible for the women's deaths and have concluded that “only a judge's review provides the best way to make sure that this case proceeds with the necessary flexibility — the kind of flexibility.” It is always easier to achieve in a jury trial.'

“Our decision today to proceed with a judge-only proceeding is not an expression of our faith in the jury system or a comment on the validity of judicial independence or disrespect for any mode of trial,” he said.

“Rather, it is a consequence of the Crown's role to constantly assess our case and ensure that the trial proceeds and ends in a timely manner.”

The defense tried to throw out the jury earlier

The defense confirmed last week that they plan to plead not guilty to criminal charges as they submitted a motion to dismiss the jury scheduled to hear Skibicki's case.

The request was their second attempt to have the case heard by a single judge after Crown Court President Glenn Joyal rejected a similar request earlier this year.

Both defense motions were filed because the Crown refused to consent to the case being tried by a judge instead of a jury — an agreement required for certain charges in Canada, including murder.

Vanderhoft said Monday that when the Crown is notified of the plan early in a case, judges often agree to a single trial in cases where a person is arguing that they are not criminally responsible.

Jeremy Skibicki sat quietly in the dock Monday, flanked by his attorneys. Skibicki has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Morgan Harris, Marcedes Mairan, Rebecca Contois and Mashkode Bijikiikwe, or a fourth unidentified Buffalo woman. (James Culleton)

He said Skibicki's defense counsel had told the Crown that they first planned to call expert evidence on whether the accused was criminally responsible on March 14, and provided prosecutors with a copy of the defense expert's report last Thursday evening.

In the meantime, he said the Crown has found its own expert to testify in rebuttal on the matter if necessary, as the defense may present such evidence.

Prosecutors were expected to present evidence in a motion to plead similar facts in Skibicki's trial Monday morning.

But after Corun and the defense agreed the evidence was admissible, those motions were not needed, Vanderhooft said, which prosecutors plan to use to determine intent and mental capacity in the case.

Police arrested Skibicki nearly two years ago, after Contois' partial remains were found in mid-May 2022 in a dumpster near a Winnipeg apartment building. The following month, police found most of his remains at the Brady Road Landfill. South Winnipeg.

Police said their investigation revealed three other women were killed between March and May 2022 before Contois' death. Police believe the remains of Myran and Harris are at the Prairie Green landfill north of Winnipeg.

Left to right: Morgan Beatrice Harris, Marcedes Mairan and Rebecca Contois. Winnipeg police on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, charged Jeremy Skibicki with first-degree murder in the deaths of three women, as well as a fourth, identified by community members as Mashkode Bijikiikwe, or Buffalo Woman. because the police do not know his identity. (Contributed by Cambria Harris, Donna Bartlett and Darryl Contois)

They believe Mashkode Bijikiikwe was in his mid-20s, but the whereabouts of his remains are unknown. The three victims who have been identified are First Nations women.

The case is scheduled to return to court Wednesday morning, when the judge plans to formally discharge the jurors before the trial begins, as he plans to summon them.