Handwritten letters penned by admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki entered as evidence

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A year after admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki was arrested for killing four Indigenous women, investigators learned he was writing to a ‘pen pal’ inmate in Nova Scotia – handwritten letters that are now being entered as evidence in his trial.

Skibicki, 37, is standing trial for the deaths of four Indigenous women: Rebecca Contois, Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran, and an unidentified woman Indigenous leaders have named Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe or Buffalo Woman.

The Crown alleges Skibicki preyed on these women at Winnipeg homeless shelters, invited them back to his apartment where he assaulted them, often sexually, and killed them. The court heard he then disposed of the women’s remains in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters.

Contois’ partial remains were found in garbage bins near Skibicki’s North Kildonan apartment on May 16, 2022. He was arrested the following day.

In the hours after his arrest, while being interviewed by homicide detectives, Skibicki admitted to killing Contois, along with three other women. In a video of that interview, later played as evidence in his trial, Skibicki told the detectives in detail how he killed the women and defiled their bodies. Two of the women, Skibicki said he dismembered in his apartment bathtub.

Skibicki was charged with four counts of first-degree murder.

Winnipeg police homicide Det. Sgt. Michael MacDonald told the court about a year after Skibicki’s arrest, investigators learned he was sending letters to a “pen pal” at a women’s institution in Nova Scotia.

Investigators travelled to interview the woman last May where they seized a total of nine letters through a warrant. The woman, an inmate at the prison, told investigators two or three other letters had been destroyed.

The letters – nearly 40 pages handwritten by Skibicki between January and April 2023 – were entered as evidence in the trial on Wednesday.

“I’m probably one of the most hated men in Winnipeg (if not all of Canada),” Skibicki wrote to the woman, whom he refers to as his ‘sweetheart’ and writes that he is considering marrying her.

Skibicki, who was in segregation at the Milner Ridge Correctional Centre at the time, told the woman he wouldn’t write to her about what he did.

“People may be shocked by what I did but may never accept why,” one of the letters read.

He goes on to detail his “extreme views” which include anti-Semitic themes, and a belief that there is a “multi-faceted plan to subjugate and then eliminate white people.”

The court has heard previously Skibicki told police the killings were racially motivated, believing he was stopping what he described as “the extinction of the white race.”

While Skibicki has admitted to the killings, his defence is arguing he should be found not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.

“I am seriously considering giving up even though I have a Not Criminally Responsible defence with experts,” Skibicki wrote to the woman in February 2023. “I could have 100 experts while the Crown has none and I’d still get convicted by a bunch of morons.”

The ninth and final letter submitted in court was written by Skibicki to the inmate on April 25, 2023. It's not clear if any other letters were sent or received after that time.

These letters are the last evidence the Crown entered before closing its case Wednesday. The trial has now been adjourned, while Skibicki’s defence awaits forensic evidence. His lawyers will present his defence to the court on June 3 with the trial expected to wrap up on June 6.

There is a support line available for those impacted by missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and LGBTQ2S+ people: 1-844-413-6649.

The Hope for Wellness Hotline for Indigenous people, with support in Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut, is also available 24/7 in Canada at 1-855-242-3310.