Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Jeremy Skibicki has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Morgan Harris, Rebecca Contois, Marcedes Myran, and a fourth unidentified woman who has been given the name Buffalo Woman or Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe.
On Tuesday, Skibicki's lawyers said the count related to Buffalo Woman should be quashed due to the fact her body has not been found and she has not been identified.
His lawyers said this information should make the count a "nullity" or legally void.
After listening to the arguments from both the defence and Crown, Court of King's Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal dismissed the motion, saying the "count is not a nullity."
A partial publication ban was put in place allowing information about the motion to be shared, but preventing any evidence discussed from being shared.
Skibicki has pleaded not guilty to all four first-degree murder counts.
Contois' remains were found in the Brady Landfill in June 2022, and it's believed the remains of Myran and Harris are in the Prairie Green Landfill. It is not known where Buffalo Woman's remains are.
In March, the federal and provincial governments reached an agreement to commit $20 million each to fund a search of Prairie Green.
Skibicki's trial is expected to get underway at the end of the month.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING 122 active wildfires burning across Canada, 32 considered 'out of control'
The 2024 wildfire season has begun, and it's shaping up to follow last year's unprecedented destruction in kind, with thousands of square kilometres already consumed.
Veteran TSN sportscaster Darren Dutchyshen has died
Veteran TSN broadcaster Darren 'Dutch' Dutchyshen, one of Canada’s best-known sports journalists, has died. He was 57. His family says 'he passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones.'
BREAKING B.C. parents sentenced to 15 years for death of 6-year-old boy
A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has sentenced the mother and stepfather of a six-year-old boy who died from blunt-force trauma in 2018 to 15 years in prison.
Speaker cuts ties with Sask. Party, alleges he faced threats, harassment from gov't MLAs
The Speaker of the Saskatchewan Legislature Randy Weekes has severed ties with the Sask. Party after accusing some members of harassment and intimidation tactics, including a situation he claimed saw the Government House Leader bring a hunting rifle to the legislative building.
Kevin Spacey receives star support as he fights to get his career back
Kevin Spacey is pushing back on the 'rush to judgment' against him and is being backed by some big names as he seeks to reclaim his acting career.
A Toronto man killed his mother and decapitated her. His lawyers argue it wasn't murder
A ‘lifetime of abuse’ led Dallas Ly to snap and repeatedly stab his mother inside their Leslieville apartment in 2022 but he never intended to kill her, his defence lawyers argued during his murder trial in Toronto on Thursday.
Father charged with second-degree murder in daughter's stabbing death southwest of Montreal
A father has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his 34-year-old daughter in southern Quebec.
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assailed New Brunswick's premier and other conservative leaders on Thursday, calling out the provincial government's position on abortion, LGBTQ youth and climate change.
The latest advice for expecting parents? Sign up for childcare as soon as you're pregnant
Canada's new $10-a-day child care program is expanding, but there's growing evidence that demand for the program is rising even faster, leaving many parents on the outside looking in.