Accused serial killer pleads not guilty to first-degree murder By: Dean Pritchard Posted: 4:22 PM CST Monday, Nov. 6, 2023 Last Modified: 5:57 PM CST Monday, Nov. 6, 2023 Updates

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Soft crying could be heard in a Winnipeg courtroom Monday as accused serial killer Jeremy Skibicki pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder.

Skibicki, 36, is in court for two weeks of pre-trial motions in advance of a jury trial set to begin in late April.

Skibicki, his head shaved and with a long grey beard, wore grey jailhouse sweats and ankle shackles as he was ushered into court by two Sheriff’s officers. He didn’t look toward the court gallery, where dozens of his alleged victims’ family members were seated, before being placed in the prisoner’s box.

Skibicki is charged in the May 2022 killings of Morgan Harris, 39, Rebecca Contois, 24, and Marcedes Myran, 26, all of whom are Indigenous, and a fourth, still unidentified woman killed in March 2022, who Indigenous leaders have given the name Buffalo Woman.

The Harris and Myran families have led ongoing calls for the various levels of government to support a search of Prairie Green Landfill near Winnipeg, where the remains of both women are believed to be buried.

The Monday hearing was invested with Indigenous ceremony and tradition. Prior to the hearing, the courtroom was smudged “to cleanse the room of negative energy and thoughts,” and a prayer was sung, Crown attorney Chris Vanderhooft told court.

On each of the courtroom’s four walls hung a “prayer tie” meant to hold thoughts and prayers for the duration of the trial motions, Vanderhooft said.

“The four directions represent all involved throughout and are intended to be inclusive,” he said.

A buffalo headdress representing Buffalo Woman sat on a table in front of Crown counsel. A red dress representing the woman sat draped over a seat in the front row of the court gallery.

Aimee Fortier, a spokesperson for Manitoba Courts, said in an email that the courts will always ensure that it’s neutral regarding religion and spirituality, but there are attempts being made to address issues of reconciliation and trust with Indigenous communities.

“The accommodations and gestures identified by the Crown, and agreed to by all counsel, represent an approach by which neutrality can be preserved and, at the same time, Indigenous knowledge, practice and tradition can be incorporated,” Fortier said.

Family members and supporters greeted and hugged one another as they entered court.

Arguments over the admissibility of Skibicki’s police statement are expected to begin Tuesday and take the balance of the week, with “potentially” additional motions next week, Vanderhooft said.

Skibicki’s lawyers argued a motion Monday that he should have the right to be tried by a judge alone, and not a jury. It is the only motion not covered by a publication ban, as it does not involve evidence to be heard at trial.

Under the Criminal Code, a jury trial is automatic in cases of first-degree murder and can only be re-elected to a judge alone with the consent of the Crown.

Skibicki’s lawyers argued the rule is arbitrary and unconstitutional, and that the Crown’s decision not to consent to a judge alone trial was “tactical” and not guided by fairness before the law.

“Our issue… is that an accused should have the unfettered right to elect the trial they want,” defence lawyer Leonard Tailleur said outside court.

“The Crown has all sorts of discretion that it exercises,” he said. “They have already exercised the one big one in direct indicting our client so we couldn’t have a preliminary hearing. The next thing they want to determine is the mode of trial and we say no.”

First-degree murder is the most serious offence in the Criminal Code and community members have a “high interest” in trying such cases, constitutional law branch lawyer Crown attorney Charles Murray told King’s Bench Justice Glenn Joyal earlier.

Joyal reserved his ruling.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca

With files from The Canadian Press

Dean Pritchard
Courts reporter

Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean.

Every piece of reporting Dean produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.