Canadian murderer Jeremy Skibicki has been sentenced to four life terms for the murders of four aboriginal women in Winnipeg in 2022.
He showed no reaction when the sentence was read, and was visibly upset as family members of the victims made emotional statements in court on Wednesday.
Prosecutors have argued that Skibicki, 37, killed four women in 2022 in a number of crimes related to racism.
He pleaded not guilty due to mental disorder.
Warning: This story contains information that readers may find disturbing.
The murder and subsequent trial sent shockwaves through Canada’s aboriginal community, which has long grappled with allegations of violence against women.
The victims are Morgan Harris, 39, Marcedes Myran, 26 and Rebecca Contois, 24. The fourth woman has not been identified, and she was given the name Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, which means Buffalo Woman, by the local elders.
Throughout the trial, a buffalo head sat on a red cloth on a table next to prosecutors in honor of the unidentified victim.
The bodies of the two victims are believed to be still in a landfill in Winnipeg. It became official this fall, after months of pressure from their families.
According to court documents, Skibicki killed the women between March and May of 2022, with Ms. Contois believed to be the final victim.
He met at least two at local homeless shelters in Winnipeg, a city of 820,000 people in the Prairie Province.
As the case continued, the court heard that Skibicki beat the women, strangled or drowned them, then committed sexual acts before dismembering the bodies and throwing them in garbage bins.
The murders went undetected for months, until a man searching for scrap metal in a bin outside Skibicki’s house found half of the people in May 2022 and called the police.
The killer shocked the police by confessing to three more murders when he was questioned about the death of Ms. Contois.
Skibicki’s lawyers tried to argue that he was unaware of the seriousness of his actions due to delusions driven by schizophrenia. They said he heard voices telling him to commit a crime as part of a mission from God.
He is not eligible for exemption for at least 25 years, when he is at least 60 years old.
“Make no mistake Mr. Skibicki, due to the current state of the law, the current sentence that I can issue today will unfortunately not adequately reflect the severity of these crimes,” said Judge Glen Joyal.
The women, the judge said, were “harassed and targeted by a white man who was trying to kill his necrophilia”.
Many family members and representatives from First Nation communities submitted impact statements to the court.
“The horrific crimes committed by Mr. Skibicki have left a deep scar on First Nations people and the repercussions of his actions will be felt for generations,” said Grand Chief Cathy Merrick of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.
“Despite the big challenges, the community is still strong.”
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