TORONTO (AP) — Canadian serial killer Robert Pickton, who took female victims to his pig farm during a crime spree near Vancouver in the late 1990s and early 2000s, has died after was attacked in prison, authorities announced Friday. He was 74 years old.
The Correctional Service of Canada said in a statement that Pickton, an inmate at the Port-Cartier institution in the province of Quebec, died in hospital from his injuries sustained in the May 19 assault involving another inmate. He was one of Canada’s most notorious serial killers and his case made international headlines.
A 51-year-old inmate was in custody for the attack on Pickton, police spokesman Hugues Beaulieu said earlier this month.
Robert “Willie” Pickton was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2007, with a maximum period of parole ineligibility of 25 years, after being charged with the murder of 26 women.
Police began searching the Pickton farm in the Vancouver suburb of Port Coquitlam more than 22 years ago as part of what would be a years-long investigation into the disappearances of dozens of street women. Vancouver’s sleaziest, sex workers and drug users abandoned on the margins of society.
The remains or DNA of 33 women were found on the farm. Pickton once bragged to an undercover police officer that he had killed a total of 49 women.
During his trial, the prosecution witness Andrew Bellwood said Pickton told him how he strangled his victims and fed their remains to his pigs. Health officials once issued a notice about contaminated meat to neighbors who might have purchased pork from Pickton’s farm, fearing the meat might contain human remains.
Cynthia Cardinal, whose sister Georgina Papin was murdered by Pickton, said Pickton’s death means she can finally have closure after her sister’s murder.
“It’s going to bring healing to, I won’t say every family, I’ll just say most families,” she said. “I’m like – wow, finally. I can actually move forward and heal and I can put this behind me.
Vancouver police have been criticized for not taking these cases seriously because many of the missing people were sex workers or drug users.
Correctional Service Canada said it was investigating Pickton’s attack.
“The investigation will examine all facts and circumstances surrounding the assault, including whether policies and protocols were followed,” the service said in the statement. “We recognize that this offender’s case has had a devastating impact on communities in British Columbia and across the country, including Indigenous people, victims and their families. Our thoughts are with them. »
Pickton’s confirmed victims numbered six: Sereena Abotsway, Mona Wilson, Andrea Joesbury, Brenda Ann Wolfe, Papin and Marnie Frey.
“Earlier today, I was informed of the death of an inmate at the Port-Cartier Institution,” said Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc in a press release. “At this time, my thoughts are with the families of the victims of this individual’s heinous crimes.”
At Pickton’s sentencing, Justice James Williams of the British Columbia Supreme Court said this was a “rare case that properly justifies the maximum period of ineligibility for release conditional conditions available to the court.
News Source : apnews.com
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