Some of what was said after a B.C. Supreme Court jury in New Westminster, B.C., found Robert Pickton guilty of six counts of second-degree murder.
"We knew that he was guilty. And now the province knows it. Now the whole world knows it." - Greg Garley, stepbrother of Mona Wilson, one of Pickton' six victims.
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"I just hope that her death doesn't go in vain and that we change the way we look at those most vulnerable in our society because a lot of times instead we shove them, degrade them, pushing them to the streets, leaving them to predators like Pickton and others who are more than willing to manipulate these women into doing things. A lot of them are wolves in sheep's clothing." - Karin Joesbury, whose daughter Andrea was one of Pickton's victims.
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"It's not going to stop here. We have six convictions. . . and we certainly want to go to the bottom of why are our loved ones were allowed to wallow down in the east end and be forgotten when we reported them missing." - Rick Frey, whose daughter Marnie was killed by Pickton.
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"I think he deserves to hear all our pain. Even if he doesn't feel anything, at least we've got our pain out and it's our way of beginning to heal. We've got to do this." - Cynthia Cardinal, whose sister Georgina Papin was killed by Pickton.
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"I still don't have my sister but we have justice on her behalf, she was a beautiful person, she was loved. She was a mother, she was a daughter, a sister, a friend, an aunt and a relative." - Patricia Evans, whose sister Brenda Wolfe was killed by Pickton. The families were wearing medicine pouches made by Wolfe's mother.
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"They think you, we as a society - and police officers are a part of society - let these girls down in life and in some level probably let them down in death now as well." - RCMP officer Bill Fordy, who interrogated Pickton, about the families of Pickton's victims.
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"The Crown's position will be that he should get a minimum 25 years before parole eligibility takes place. Keep in mind that in case because there are multiple counts . . . that it will be difficult to conclude Mr. Pickton will ever see the light of day again." - B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal.
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"I actually think the emotions have been very much kept in restraint here. It may be the Canadian way. I think that the families who have been involved have been courteous to us throughout, to the defence lawyers, and respectful. Hopefully, we've been the same to them." - Lead defence lawyer Peter Ritchie.
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"There were enormous difficulties from the point of view of defence trying to understand this case because of the logistics involved. Don't forget we had well over a million pieces of paper that we had to digest here, whatever the number is 1.3, 1.4 million pieces of paper." - Ritchie.
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"Today's verdicts are for the families and friends of these six women. The road to justice has been long and difficult and they have demonstrated remarkable patience and restraint." - Crown spokesman Stan Lowe.
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"These women were more than their vulnerable lifestyles. It is important to remember they had family and friends to mourn their loss." - Lowe.
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"I can't tell you standing here what parts of the evidence they took into consideration, what they considered to be more important, what the debates were in that room. None of us know that." - Lead Crown lawyer Mike Petrie, about how the jury might have reached its verdict.
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"From a prosecutor's point of view there's very little difference in the end result because it's only to determine the number of years before eligibility for parole. It doesn't mean that when that eligibility date arrives that the person is necessarily going to be released." - Petrie on the verdict being second-degree murder, instead of first-degree, which Pickton was charged with.
--The Canadian Press
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