(Winnipeg) A man has admitted in court to killing four women in Winnipeg, but his lawyers are asking that he be found not criminally responsible due to mental illness.
Posted at 11:53 a.m.
Manitoba Court of King’s Bench Justice Glenn Joyal said the questions of Jeremy Skibicki’s mental capacity and intent will now be at the center of his trial.
The Crown agreed that the trial, which was supposed to take place before a jury, would instead be heard by a judge alone due to the complexity of this type of defense.
“Resolving this issue before a jury poses certain challenges,” said prosecutor Christian Vanderhooft.
The trial is scheduled to begin Wednesday.
Skibicki, 37, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder.
The partial remains of Rebecca Contois were found in a container and in a municipal landfill in 2022.
Police said they believe the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran were at another private landfill outside the city.
The location of an unidentified woman whom Native leaders named Buffalo Woman is unknown.
Protests took place across the country after police said they would not search the Prairie Green landfill for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, but last month the federal and Manitoba governments granted a total of 40 million for this research.
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