Winnipeg police admitted they paid a total of $1,500 for information from a man who later confessed to killing two aboriginal women. Shawn Cameron Lamb told investigators he could provide them with information in exchange for police making payments to his canteen fund at the Winnipeg Remand Centre, Supt. Danny Smyth said on Friday.
Lamb originally came into police custody during an investigation of an unrelated sexual assault. He told investigators he knew the location of a body, after which he stopped cooperating.
Lamb, who has a lengthy criminal record, said he would talk to police if they deposited some money into his prison canteen account, Smyth said. Police made three payments totaling $1,500 so Lamb would co-operate with investigators.
Investigators consulted with prosecutors, who gave specific advice on how to proceed with an interview in those circumstances. In the first interview, the service paid Lamb $600 and he confessed to killing 25-year-old Carolyn Sinclair and 18-year-old Lorna Blacksmith and was charged with second-degree murder.
In an effort to get information about other missing and murdered aboriginal women, police paid Lamb an additional $900 for two more interviews. Police say those interviews did not provide investigators with any additional evidence.
On Thursday, the 54-year-old pleaded guilty to two lesser charges of manslaughter, after the Crown admitted his police confession likely wouldn't have been admissible in court.
A judge approved a jointly recommended sentence of 20 years in jail. Lamb can apply for parole in nine years.
Family of third woman wants answers
Meanwhile, another family of a missing aboriginal woman is demanding answers. The family of Tanya Nepinak told CTV News that if police need to pay Lamb for information, they should do it.
“Where’s my sister? Why is my sister out of there, where does my sister come into this picture?” asked Gail Nepinak, Tanya’s sister.
Gail and her mother are upset that they still don’t know where Tanya’s body is. The 32-year-old mother of two disappeared in 2012.
Her family said not being able to bury her torments them. “I don’t know why they didn’t pay him to get more information about Tanya,” said Joyce Nepinak, Tanya’s mother. “That’s all we want, is for her to have peace where she is.”
The Nepinak family says it won't stop searching for Tanya until she's found. A march to the Legislative Building is planned for Monday night to remind Winnipeggers that Tanya's body is still out there.
Supt. Smyth said police are sensitive to the fact there are many missing and murdered women in Manitoba and Canada and that these investigations are a priority. Investigators explored all options to get Lamb to talk about other victims who he may have been involved with, Smyth said.
- with a report from Josh Crabb and files from The Canadian Press
