Chief Justice Glenn Joyal of the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench has found Jeremy Skibicki guilty of first-degree murder in the “merciless” deaths of four Indigenous women. Skibicki, 37, earlier confessed on video he had committed the crimes, but his lawyers argued he was suffering from a mental disorder when he murdered the women. The judge ruled his mind was intact. Crown prosecutors argued Skibicki scoped out the victims, Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran, Rebecca Contois and an unidentified woman now known by Indigenous leaders as Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe or Buffalo Woman, at homeless shelters. He then lured them back to his home to abuse them, and in some cases sexually abuse them, and then killed them. He cut up their remains and dispersed them in various nearby dumpsters, per CTV. The decision follows a six-week trial that ended in June. In May 2022 after his arrest, Skibicki confessed to police during an interview, “I killed four people.” The video was put in evidence for the trial. In it Skibicki recounted the graphic details of the murders. “The statement was really the starting piece after Miss Contois’ body was found, and it really helped to prove the case the crown had to prove," said Crown prosecutor Renee Lagimodiere, according to CTV. In June 2022 the Western Standard reported Winnipeg police were searching landfills for human remains after what they called the “horrifically grisly” murder of Contois, 24 at the time of her death. Her partial remains were found near a Winnipeg apartment building.“Due to the nature of the circumstances of this investigation, homicide investigators have not ruled out the possibility of additional victims,” said police early in the investigation. While Skibicki confessed to the killings, his lawyers had argued he should be found not criminally responsible for the deaths due to mental illness.A UK-based psychiatrist called on by defence testified during the trial Skibicki suffered from schizophrenia and “had been hearing voices” at the time of the murders. Joyal however found “significant concerns” and “foundational deficiencies” in the medical professional’s analysis. The Crown said these “delusions” were made up after he was arrested. A Crown psychiatrist then testified he did not suffer from a mental disorder and Skibicki's actions were “racially motivated and driven by homicidal necrophilia (a sexual arousal to dead bodies,” CTV reported. Joyal agreed with the second medical professional. “The accused did not have a mental disorder such as schizophrenia,” Joyal said in Thursday’s decision. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date. However, in Canada first-degree murder convictions come with an automatic life sentence with no parole for 25 years.
