Robert Pickton - alleged Vancouver serial killer [Archive] - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

Doyle

02-05-2004, 05:37 AM

The more Canadian police dig underneath a pig farm east of Vancouver, British Columbia (search), the more death they unearth.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,110477,00.html

CANADA has been witness to several cases of gender-based violence on a mass scale. But today, the country is facing the facts of its worst-ever example of gender-based violence — against women sex workers. The scale of this gender-based violence is all the more horrific because of the extent of public and systemic denial of it, and the fact that it continued unchecked for many years
http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=news&Story_ID=02052

Doyle

02-16-2004, 05:31 AM

Saturday was a tearful Valentine's Day for the families of the more than 60 women who went missing from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/02/14/348044-cp.html

blueclouds

03-10-2004, 10:22 PM

Please don't eat when you read this link.

RCMP asking people to provide them with any pork they bought from the farm. Fearing cross contamination / that bodies may have been added ... (can't finish that sentence)

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/03/10/377422-cp.html

another link:http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/03/10/crime.pigfarm.reut/index.html

Sprocket

03-10-2004, 11:01 PM

What I find most disturbing is that this is the FIRST, it appears, that this was brought up!

It was one of the things that first crossed my mind, when this case broke.

Doyle

03-22-2004, 05:47 AM

CANADIANS horrified by the discovery of an alleged serial killer in their midst have been confronted with even worse news -- they may have eaten animals that ate the victims
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,9024098%255E663,00.html

mysteriew

08-23-2005, 01:42 AM

The B.C. government has put a mortgage worth $10 million on accused serial killer Robert Pickton's notorious pig farm to cover his publicly funded defence, The Canadian Press has learned.

But no one at the Attorney General's Ministry will say if that figure represents the estimated cost of Pickton's seven-member legal team in the long and hugely complex case.

And Robert Pickton's share of the property - his brother and sister are co-owners - is currently worth only a fraction of that amount. It's also saddled with several other mortgages and legal judgments that pre-date the province's mortgage.
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=56a9806f-6b28-4480-b451-0e945be83c55

mysteriew

10-13-2005, 01:32 AM

Almost four years after he was arrested and charged with what would eventually become 27 counts of first-degree murder, Robert (Willy) Pickton listened without apparent emotion yesterday as his trial date inched closer.

A voir dire, a legal hearing in which the court makes rulings about the admissibility of evidence, will begin Jan. 30, Mr. Justice James Williams of the British Columbia Supreme Court decided.

The voir dire is expected to be the last major stage before the start of the full trial, which the province's criminal justice branch of the Ministry of Attorney General is describing as a "mega case" of unprecedented proportions.

Judge Williams said he was anxious to proceed, but felt the delay would allow the trial to proceed more efficiently once it begins.

"I don't think that any useful purpose would be served by starting in December," he said.

"I want . . . the next phase of the trial to commence in January . . . and to proceed in a uniform, steady fashion. . . . By taking that later date we will realize later efficiency."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20051012/BCPICKTON12/TPNational/Canada

PrayersForMaura

01-30-2006, 04:11 PM

B.C. pig farmer pleads not guilty on 27 counts of first-degree murder

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — Robert Pickton pleaded not guilty today to 27 counts of first-degree murder in the disappearances of women from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

The pleas by the 56-year-old Pickton in British Columbia Supreme Court came at the formal start of his trial, which is to be followed by several months of hearings on the admissibility of evidence.

Pickton, a pig farmer in suburban Port Coquitlam, is charged with killing 27 women, mostly drug-addicted prostitutes from a slum area east of downtown Vancouver. More than 60 women have vanished from the area since the early 1980s.

More: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002771856_webpickton30.html?syndication=rss

PrayersForMaura

01-30-2006, 04:18 PM

Accused serial killer Robert Pickton enters not-guilty pleas in court The 56-year-old man spoke in a strong voice as each count of the indictment against him was read in court, responding "Not guilty" or "Not guilty, your honour," to the charges.

Pickton remained silent, however, when he was asked how he pleaded on a first-degree murder charge involving a woman known only as Jane Doe. On that charge, the court registered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.

More: http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20060130/ca_pr_on_na/crime_pigfarm_10

Rle7

03-04-2006, 11:30 AM

The judge preciding over the Robert Pickton voir dire hearing has thrown out one of the murder charges.

Accused serial killer Robert Pickton will face one less murder charge after a judge ruled he cannot be tried for killing an unidentified Jane Doe. Justice James Williams ruled Thursday the count fails to meet the minimum requirements of the Criminal Code.

http://www.citytv.com/vancouver/news_25682.aspx

Rle7

03-07-2006, 05:42 PM

Prosecutors will not appeal a judge's decision to throw out one of 27 murder charges against Robert Pickton, whose alleged victims are largely women from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/03/07/pickton-charge060307.html

Rle7

03-07-2006, 05:45 PM

The Pickton case is now the largest serial killer investigation in Canadian history (Clifford Olson pleaded guilty in 1982 to killing 11 children in B.C.).

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/pickton

CyberLaw

03-08-2006, 03:16 PM

There is no such thing as life without parole in Canada. A person either serves the full 25 years and released without parole, or 2/3 of the sentence and released on parole. I put money that when Picton is released if he does the full 25 years, there will be a hearing like in Karla's case that will put limits on him for a specific time.

So 1 murder or 25 he gets the same sentence.

Rle7

05-04-2006, 01:41 AM

Accused serial killer Robert Pickton's murder trial could last two years and may not start this fall, says his lawyer.

Peter Ritchie appeared in court in New Westminster, B.C. on Wednesday to give an update on the trial.

He estimated the trial would take 90 weeks plus time for adjournments, although he added that was speculative.

There are concerns about keeping a jury that long, he said.

If the jury drops below 10 members over the length of the trial, the trial must start over again.

Ritchie said if his client chooses trial by judge and jury, the trial likely wouldn't be able to start this fall as expected.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060503/pickton_trial_060503/20060503?hub=TopStories

wondering22

06-06-2006, 04:37 PM

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40079

The grandfather of a missing woman whom pig farmer Robert (Willy) Pickton has been accused of murdering hopes a powerful song penned by famed poet Susan Musgrave will raise money to help other troubled women.

"It's a gift from Andrea to the missing women," an emotional Jack Cummer said about the song Missing, which Musgrave wrote in memory of his granddaughter Andrea Joesbury.

The song is a collaboration of Musgrave's poignant lyrics, Galiano Island guitarist Brad Prevedoros' haunting music, and the captivating voice of singer Amber Smith.....

wondering22

06-08-2006, 12:08 PM

Linda Grant - missing since 1984 - found alive

http://websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1081979

She came online to research Willy Pickton, whom a friend had told her about, and then found a herself staring at a pic of herself...

Rle7

06-26-2006, 01:47 PM

In the long row of seats reserved for relatives of the missing women, only one chair was filled every day since the pre-trial hearings for Robert (Willy) Pickton began in B.C. Supreme Court in January.

Pickton is accused of killing 26 women, and another 41 women are still missing from the Downtown Eastside. But Lance Henry, brother of Janet Henry, one of the missing women, was the only relative to show up daily at the precedent-setting trial.

But from now on, his second-row seat -- where the friendly, soft-spoken man sat directly behind Pickton -- will be empty.

Henry died last week in his East Vancouver apartment. An emotional memorial service was held Tuesday at a native friendship centre on East Hastings, attended by more than 150 people.

Henry's sister, Sandra Gagnon, said an autopsy indicated her fit-looking, 46-year-old brother died June 14 of an enlarged heart, and that further tests are being conducted to determine why.

Although Janet Henry is not among the women Pickton is accused of killing, Lance Henry said he felt the need to go to court to support her and the other women who disappeared.

Pickton's pre-trial hearing --which will determine the evidence that will be heard when the actual trial begins later this year or early next year -- is protected by a publication ban.

The legal arguments have often been dry and technical, but that didn't deter Henry from taking the SkyTrain to court in New Westminster each day. He carried his baseball cap and little else because of the two security screening stations that court visitors have to go through.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=7443da02-16f4-42cb-8ad2-afb868349e04

Rle7

06-26-2006, 10:59 PM

After a separation of 1,500 kilometres and 16 years, it was an emotional reunion last week for Mary Florence Lands and three of her children who had been told she might be dead.

Until last week, Lands, who used to live in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, was considered missing and presumed dead.

She was on a police task force list of women whom police said might be victims of a serial killer.

However, it turned out she was alive and well and living on a farm in Cochin, just north of North Battleford.

On Friday, there were tears of joy as she met her grown-up sons and daughter in Saskatoon.

"They're so gorgeous," she said as she met Michael Lands, 24, Stuart Panko, 22, and Jeannie Panko, 20, inside the Saskatoon airport.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2006/06/26/lands-reunion.html

jilly

06-28-2006, 04:19 PM

jilly

08-10-2006, 12:24 PM

Judge splits Pickton trial -

The trial will proceed on 6 counts and the balance will be tried separately. "It will be up to the prosecution to decide whether the 6 counts will proceed first or the twenty..."

"....a trial involving an unprecedented 26 counts of lst degree murder would be too much of a burden on the jury...."

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=d326dfa9-57c6-4d7c-99ae-c7e6b2a52619&k=11295

Rle7

08-11-2006, 09:03 PM

Anna Draayers is struggling with her feelings after a judge ruled that accused serial killer Robert Pickton will stand trial for the murder of her foster daughter and five others, while 20 other cases will not proceed right away.

Draayers, the foster mother of Surrey resident Serena Abotsway, learned about the decision from a reporter Wednesday.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice James Williams ruled that hearing evidence in all 26 charges would be too much for one jury, and ordered that six murder counts should be heard together while the remaining 20 are referred to another trial.

Draayers said it means her family will have some closure sooner than others. “I know how hard it is to wait,” she said. “For the other people, they want to know just as well as we do.”

http://www.surreyleader.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=73&cat=23&id=705942&more=

Alta

09-02-2006, 12:34 PM

FREMONT, Calif. -- A series of letters purportedly penned by Robert (Willie) Pickton, who is accused of killing 26 missing women, maintain his innocence and claim he is just the "fall guy" arrested in the multimillion-dollar investigation.

Pickton has given no media interviews since his 2002 arrest, and his court proceedings have been muzzled by a publication ban, so any letters written by him would provide the first public glimpse into the thoughts of the man accused of being Canada's worst serial killer.

http://snipurl.com/vtoh

Rle7

10-06-2006, 12:55 PM

After an agonizing wait, Elana Papin says she'll attend the trial of alleged serial killer Robert Pickton, the man accused of murdering her sister.

The B.C. government announced plans last month to fund travel and accommodation for families to attend the trial.

The pig farmer is accused of 26 counts of first-degree murder. Pickton's trial on six counts - including the death of Enoch resident Georgina Papin - begins in January.

"In my heart, I feel like it's my duty to be there," said Elana, 37.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2006/10/06/1963580-sun.html

I'm glad the victims' families will have an opportunity to confront Pickton in person at his trial. I'm appalled that the Pickton family wants to continue farming on that land :eek: Who would want anything that was grown or raised at that place?

Rle7

10-11-2006, 05:33 PM

The family of missing Victoria woman Nancy Clark was notified that her disappearance has been connected to the police task force investigating the Port Coquitlam, B.C., pig farm of accused serial killer Robert (Willie) Pickton.

Clark's family was notified Tuesday of the new development in her case by Victoria police detectives and members of the Lower Mainland's Missing Women's Task Force.

''It's kind of sad, but kind of a relief for them,''said Victoria police acting Insp. Les Sylven. ''To hear nothing for years and years, and then to get some kind of information, no doubt most people would feel relieved.''

The Missing Women's Task Force has seized tens of thousands of exhibits from Pickton's farm, and some of that evidence is still being analyzed in police labs across the country.

So far, Pickton stands charged with killing 26 missing sex trade workers whose DNA was located on the property during a massive police search between February 2002 and November 2003.

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=9b49b692-a32a-407f-a03a-dd2a51027715&k=82972

Alta

12-08-2006, 05:02 PM

• If convicted on all counts, Robert Pickton would be Canada's worst serial killer
• 600 potential jurors being called Saturday
• Suspect used to throw large parties on hog farm

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- The women began disappearing from Vancouver's seediest streets in the 1980s, hookers and dope addicts abandoned on the margins of society. Desperate friends and families were outraged when the police appeared to do little to find them.

Now, the man accused of murdering at least 26 of those missing women is finally going to trial. Jury selection was to begin Saturday for the case against Robert "Willie" Pickton, a pig farmer who, if convicted of all the murders, would become the worst serial killer in Canadian history.

Some 600 potential jurors were being called in Saturday. Justice James Williams has ruled that the trial will be divided into two parts, with the first six counts being tried first.

The gruesome allegations against Pickton fall under a publication ban which prevents the media from revealing details of the alleged crimes until opening arguments on January 8.

http://tinyurl.com/y9tntt

Rle7

01-15-2007, 12:36 PM

Like mothers, like daughters.

Georgina Papin always wanted to help people. Her daughter Kristina Bateman wants to remember that legacy and become a nurse.

Sarah de Vries loved to write and draw. Her daughter Jeanie says English is her favourite class.

Photos of Marnie Frey show deep brown hair. Her daughter Brittney recently dyed hers to match.

Papin, de Vries and Frey were street sisters in the most notorious neighbourhood in Canada - Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Their daughters are now among the elders of a different kind of a family - the generation of children born to the 26 women Robert Pickton stands accused of murdering.

There are about 40 children in all - Papin herself had seven, of which Kristina is the eldest.

Their mothers' stories have come and gone in the public eye since women began disappearing from the Downtown Eastside. And with the trial on six of the murders set to begin Jan. 22, they are surfacing again.

http://www.brooksbulletin.com/news/national_news.asp?itemid=59834

Rle7

01-21-2007, 01:39 PM

What's expected to be the longest jury trial in Canadian history beings Monday when Robert (Willie) Pickton finally goes to court charged with murdering six women from this city's notorious Downtown Eastside.

The six -- Sereena Abotsway, Marnie Frey, Angela Joesbury, Georgina Papin, Mona Wilson and Brenda Wolfe -- are among 26 that Pickton has been charged with murdering.

Twelve jurors and two alternates have been told to prepare for a full year of evidence and arguments. The Crown alone has 240 people on its witness list. It has filed more than 750,000 documents and the number of exhibits -- physical evidence taken from Pickton's pig farm in suburban Port Coquitlam -- is expected to be equally daunting.

More than 600 police officers supplemented by civilian workers, including anthropology students, worked on the case, digging up and sifting dirt at the Pickton farm.

Because there is so much evidence and so many witnesses, B.C. Supreme Court Justice John Williams has taken the unusual step of allowing Pickton's lawyers to make an opening statement on Monday, right after the Crown's opening, rather than waiting months and months for the prosecution to unwrap its case.

It's already taken nearly five years for this trial to begin. Pickton, 57, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder in February 2002. But even when this trial ends, Pickton's days in court aren't over. He still has to face the other 20 murder charges.

Initially, it was to have been a single trial. But last summer, the judge split the charges after Pickton's lawyers said it could take two years to hear all the evidence in a case that's also known as the missing-women trial.

That's what many social services agencies working with women in the Downtown Eastside would prefer the media called it. They fear that the publicity surrounding the trial is conferring celebrity status on the accused rather than focusing on his crimes and victims.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/editorial/story/3851421p-4455841c.html

Alta

01-22-2007, 03:54 PM

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. – Evidence in the trial against accused serial killer Robert Pickton will be distressing and repulsive and jurors must be careful to keep their objectivity, the judge in the case told them today.

"Some of the evidence to which you will be exposed to during the trial will be shocking and is likely to be upsetting. I must ask each of you to deal with that the best you can," Justice James Williams said as the jury trial began.

"It may arouse feelings of revulsion and hostility that can overwhelm the objective and impartial approach that jurors are expected to bring to their task.

http://tinyurl.com/335ceb

Alta

01-22-2007, 05:05 PM

The heads, hands and feet of two women were found in a freezer at the home of a pig farmer accused of being Canada's worst serial killer, a court heard today.

The heads had been cut in half vertically using a power saw, prosecutor Derrill Previtt told jurors at the trial of Robert "Willie" Pickton.

http://tinyurl.com/2abuxr

Alta

01-22-2007, 08:15 PM

NEW WESTMINSTER, British Columbia - A Canadian pig farmer confessed to killing 49 women and was caught before he could reach his goal of making it an even 50, prosecutors told jurors at the start of his murder trial Monday.

Prosecutor Derrill Prevett stunned the courtroom by saying that Pickton told investigators, including an undercover officer planted in his jail cell, that he had slain 49 women.

"I was going to do one more and make it an even 50," Prevett quoted Pickton as telling investigators. "I made my own grave by being sloppy."

Pickton told one officer that he would be "nailed to the cross" and described himself as a mass murderer who deserved to be on death row, Prevett claimed.

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/16516983.htm

jilly

01-22-2007, 10:32 PM

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070121/pickton_trial_070122/20070122?hub=TopStories

"In a laundry room of Pickton's trailer, a revolver was found in a zippered gun case. Its barrel was covered in plastic wrap, had an elastic band wrapped around it and had a sexual device fitted over it. The revolver had one spent casing and five other rounds. Forensic evidence detected DNA from both Pickton and Wilson on the revolver."

Alta

01-23-2007, 09:28 AM

Wow thanks Jilly,he is a sick sick man isn't he.

Hez

01-23-2007, 01:05 PM

Alta

01-23-2007, 06:40 PM

Prevett said police entered the Pickton farm with a search warrant on Feb. 5, 2002, initially seeking illegal firearms but made a shocking discovery — a blood-stained tote bag was found in Pickton’s mobile home that contained an asthma inhaler that was prescribed in 2001 to one of the missing women, Abotsway.

Also found on a laundry room shelf was a .22-calibre Smith & Wesson handgun. The Crown contends Abotsway was shot with a .22-calibre gun, he added.

Prevett said police later found decomposed partial remains of several women close to Pickton’s home on the farm, including two severed heads found in a freezer chest in a workshop adjacent to a building Pickton used to slaughter pigs.

http://tinyurl.com/2sxehj

Alta

01-23-2007, 06:42 PM

Hez

01-23-2007, 07:34 PM

ITA Hez,the first ones who should get the Dp would be Pickton followed by Paul Bernardo & Karla Homolka.
Yeah. I can't belive Homolka is out living her life almost as if she did nothing wrong. It sickens me. :mad:

Alta

01-24-2007, 06:51 PM

Well I have faith one day Karla will screw up and go back to jail where she belongs.

So far today in the trial they are playing more of the taped interviews with Pickton.I often wonder how my aunt does it,she has been his nurse for 5 years.Having to deal with such a scum ball 5 days a week.

kazzbar

01-24-2007, 07:57 PM

He's like Jeffrey Dahmer, Hannibal Lector and the serial killer from the movie 'Seven' rolled into one. I really feel for those jurors because this will change their lives forever. They are in for one long horrific trial. It's cases like these that make me wish Canada had the death penalty.I have just done a search as I knew little of this case. Will be watching with interest. Yes, I wish Canada had the death penalty also? How involved was Pickton's brother.He must have been party to at least knowing of the murders.
I would not want to be on the jury for this as it will affect the jurors for the rest of their days.How many more women were killed by him and will we ever know. So very sad for the families....

Alta

01-24-2007, 08:42 PM

kazzbar

01-25-2007, 12:26 AM

I wonder about the brother as well.He had to have known.I believe Willie was the only one who lived on the pig farm,but his brother helped him in the daily running of it.He had a womans head,hands and feet laying there in a bucket,there was blood splatter all over the walls.How could he miss all that?I do not know but reports say the 'farm' was like a dump.Maybe he just
assumjed it was pig blood. The mind boggles. How he could miss the clothes and personal effects in the trailer is very disturbing but to think of the body parts all over the place in buckets and freezers makes it even more unbelievable.
Wonder where the brother sits in relation to charges and how much he took part in it all.He sounds like a real nutter also.
I do not understand how Picton managed to get past the police search of the property the first time. It is just crazy..

Alta

01-25-2007, 05:48 PM

Warning: Graphic content.

A witness will say she saw Robert Pickton killing a woman, skinning her while she hung on a hook, police told the accused serial killer during an interview.

RCMP Staff Sgt. Don Adam told Pickton police knew Ellingsen was blackmailing him.

"She says it's because she walked in and you were skinning a girl."

Adam said people also told police Pickton had sex with the women when they were dead.

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/174923

Hez

01-25-2007, 06:26 PM

Well, this just keeps getting more and more horrific. There was a witness?! I hadn't heard that before. It will be interesting to see what happens when they are put on the stand.

bing1

01-25-2007, 07:13 PM

I live up in Vancouver and so am kept very updated with all the media around here for this. It seems like everyone in some way here has been affected by this. Either we know someone who spent time at that farm or know someone who knows someone who lost a daughter or sister or mother. My girlfriend use to go to roast pig parties there all the time in the sumer, and my uncle was selected for jury duty, it's just awful to think about it.

I don't personally have a problem with police pushing a witness hard the way they apparently did here. If there hadn't been any evidence found to prove that the suspect did what he did, the crown and investigators wouldn't have persued this with the vigor that they have. They have so much evidence that they had to split the trial into two to speed up the process.

My thoughts go out to all the families and loved ones of every girl who lost their lives to this animal:twocents:

jilly

01-25-2007, 07:39 PM

What concerns me most about this trial is the jury. Twelve have been selected with 2 alternates and quote:

"The five women and seven men on the jury will start their work on Jan. 8, 2007, if things proceed according to schedule. Once the evidence phase of the trial begins, the two alternate jurors will be excused.

That phase of the trial is expected to last up to one year. If the number of jurors on the panel falls below 10, a mistrial is declared and the process begins again."

What's the purpose of the alternates here?? I don't get it. The evidence phase is expected to last up to one year if things proceed according to schedule."

When has a trial ever proceeded according to schedule????

I would guess that this trial will go beyond a year. That's just my educated opinion. Only 2 jurors can drop out during the evidence phase and they can continue with 10. After that - it's a mistrial.

I don't know. This is not sitting well with me. I would hate to see a mistrial after a year of trial.

I know it's a different country but in the Scott Peterson case they lost 3 jurors and that trial was what 6 months? This Pickton trial is a horrible case for these jurors.

Here's the link for my quotes:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061211/pickton_juryprocess_061212/20061212?hub=Canada&s_name=

Alta

01-25-2007, 11:34 PM

jilly

01-27-2007, 01:50 PM

ITA Jilly.What happens if someone becomes very ill,loses a loved one and has to leave.There are so many scenarios that can happen in everyday life.This should have been thought out a little better.They should have had alot more alternates in place.

It sickens me to read the evidence,I cannot imagine after 4 days what it is doing to the jury.After a year of it these poor people will never be the same again.

They've already lost one juror in the first 24 hr! He had 2nd thoughts financially.

You're right. So many things can happen. I hate to repeat but I just don't get the point of choosing of alternates who are dismissed before the evidence. What are they there for? The opening statements? :confused:
I was doing some googling, and I see the defense atorney has the same concern:

"Ritchie has expressed concern about keeping 12 people on a jury without having any alternates.

"Without having alternate jurors to sit on a trial, if someone gets ill or has some problems down the line, if we lose too many jurors, we have to stop and start again and that's a potentially very poor and inefficient system,'' Ritchie told The Canadian Press.

"I think of course we should revisit that in many cases, not just in this case.""

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061210/pickton_juryprocess_061211?s_name=&no_ads=

But at least the jurors are getting paid somewhat:

"Jurors are paid $20 a day for the first 10 days in court, $60 a day for the next 40 days and $100 a day for each additional day.

http://hazel8500.wordpress.com/2006/12/13/expect-horror-movie-trial-pickton-jurors-told/

Taximom

01-28-2007, 06:12 AM

jilly

01-29-2007, 11:08 PM

I can't imagine being a juror on this case. If the Peterson jurors were traumatized by what they went through...I can't even imagine what these jurors are going to have to live with for the rest of their lives. They may need psychological help. :(

So the best punishment is life in prison without parole? Seems so unfair for sub-humans like this guy.

Hi Taxi! :) I agree. These jurors are going to need a heap of therapy and as I understand it there is no provision in the Canadian system for them to get help either.

If this guy is found guilty, he will never get out of prison, imo. Canada has a parole board. Technically there is no such sentence as LWOP, however, the Judge can recommend that one not be granted parole.

This case is going to be interesting. I understand Pickton has the best of the best lawyers on his defense team - courtesy of the taxpayers.

samhoney

01-30-2007, 03:51 AM

The B.C. government announced plans last month to fund travel and accommodation for families to attend the trial.
B.C. has a HUGE surplus of money right now. Personally, I can't think of a better cause to fund. It is the very least the government can do for these families since the RCMP turned a blind eye to these missing women for years. :clap:

Rle7

01-30-2007, 11:32 AM

B.C. has a HUGE surplus of money right now. Personally, I can't think of a better cause to fund. It is the very least the government can do for these families since the RCMP turned a blind eye to these missing women for years. :clap:I'm glad BC has money, because its going to cost millions and millions to prosecute Pickton. This is just the first in a long string of trials and appeals. It would have been way cheaper if RCMP had done their job in the first place. Lives could have been saved. It seems that RCMP is the last to admit there's a serial killer around.

jilly

01-30-2007, 12:29 PM

I agree about the RCMP. The Air India trial cost millions too and those guys got off. Then of course, Clifford Olsen who actually murdered more children while he was under surveillance not to mention the fact that he got paid $10,000 per child to help with their investigation.

samhoney

01-31-2007, 02:12 AM

We had a friend over tonight and our conversation turned to this case. There is some evidence that the women were killed for the purpose of making snuff films, which were subsequently sold in Europe.

kazzbar

01-31-2007, 03:14 AM

We had a friend over tonight and our conversation turned to this case. There is some evidence that the women were killed for the purpose of making snuff films, which were subsequently sold in Europe.If this is true then the case is even more disturbing.I wonder if LE have any evidence of this.Sounds like Picton was pretty wealthy so I guess there would be a money trail involved if this was the case. Makes it even sadder as far as I am concerned...:banghead: :mad:

Rle7

02-11-2007, 01:00 PM

Here are this week's highlights of the trial of Robert (Willie) Pickton, 57, who is accused of the murders of 26 women from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Pickton's first trial began Jan. 22 and deals with the killings of six women: Sereena Abotsway, Mona Wilson, Marnie Frey, Georgina Papin, Brenda Wolfe and Andrea Joesbury. The other 20 murder charges will be dealt with at a later trial.

- Monday, Feb. 5: The court hears a videotape in which Pickton tells an undercover RCMP officer in his jail cell that he had little hope following his arrest. "I'm screwed, tattooed and nailed to the cross, and now I'm a mass murderer... ." He said his farm - which police had been searching for two weeks at that point - "buried him."

- Pickton tells his cellmate street people are "wasting their lives away."

- Tuesday, Feb. 6: The undercover officer testifies that Pickton told him he wanted to kill 50 women, take some time off and then kill another 25.

- In the video, the court hears Pickton brag that he had baffled and stumped police. "I was gonna do one more, make it an even 50," Pickton said. The accused killer said:"I made my own grave by being sloppy ... Mister Sloppy. Sloppy at the end." Pickton held up four fingers. "Four I was sloppy with," he said.

- Pickton told his cellmate he was going to be famous - bigger than Seattle's Green River killer, who killed 42 women. "I'm on top of the world," Pickton said.

- In the video, the cellmate tells Pickton the best way to dispose of a body is in the ocean. "I did better than that," Pickton said. He leaned forward, giggled and whispered: "A rendering plant."

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=a4cea186-dd83-4a4c-8333-ca2c364883a4&k=29730

What a sick SOB:sick: A life sentence in the coldest jail cell in northern Canada would be too good for this monster :behindbar

kazzbar

02-11-2007, 03:58 PM

Thanyou for the update. We do not hear much about this case here. I appreciate you keeping me up to date. What is with the rendering plant? Does anyone know anything about it?

squeaky

02-12-2007, 12:26 AM

Thanyou for the update. We do not hear much about this case here. I appreciate you keeping me up to date. What is with the rendering plant? Does anyone know anything about it?http://jivdaya.org/rendering_plants.htm

samhoney

02-12-2007, 04:36 AM

http://jivdaya.org/rendering_plants.htm Oh, dear God in heaven above.

I can't believe I forgot about this! It was 2004...maybe late 2003?? There was a scare here in Vancouver that some of missing women ended up in the local human food chain. It took very little time for RCMP to issue a statement saying that it is possible that some victims ended up in the food chain but not in the human food chain.

This makes total sense. If he did get rid of the bodies like he said, they would have ended up in the animal food chain. At least this is the conclusion I came to after reading that horrible and disgusting page about a rendering plant.

I seriously feel sick to my stomach.

kazzbar

02-12-2007, 08:44 PM

OMG. Thanks for the link Squeaky. Now I Know....

Sorry I do...
But thanks..
What a terrible way to end up , just so sad...

Rle7

02-14-2007, 06:48 PM

A woman who’s lost three relatives to the rough streets of the Downtown Eastside says people seem to care more about storm-ravaged trees in Stanley Park than about murdered women.

Pauline Johnson spoke as hundreds of people gathered in the Vancouver neighbourhood to mourn the lives of missing and murdered women.

But between their teardrops many also decried the indifference they believe has allowed many of the disappearances to go uninvestigated and the murders unsolved.

Family members of the women were among those attending the 16th annual Missing Women’s Memorial March.

“A tree falls in Stanley Park and everybody runs,” Johnson said. “A human being gets murdered on the Downtown Eastside and everybody turns his back.”

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/PicktonTrial/Features/2007/02/14/3617952-cp.html

samhoney

02-14-2007, 10:13 PM

I think a reason why the story isn't covered as much is the stringent black out imposed by the judge. News stations/papers will cover events like their gathering but they have to step back and really question the other things that they write about in regards to the Pickton case.

Stanley Park lost 1,000 trees in the last huge Pacific front that went through Vancouver. It was SCARY and this is coming from someone who lived in Tornado Alley for 28 years. I worked as a victims' advocate and as a social worker for a long time and my heart is always staunchly with the victims of crime and their loved ones. There does come a time when the world has to keep on spinning. To a lot of families it does seem like no one cares but there are so many people out there who do. Life has to go on and I know there are a lot of goodhearted people here in Greater Van who will help these families through this difficult time.

Rle7

02-16-2007, 11:37 AM

An RCMP officer found holes in Vancouver police files on women missing from the Downtown Eastside, Robert Pickton's murder trial was told Thursday.

Sgt. Margaret Kingsbury told Pickton's defence lawyer that she initially didn't review the 27 cases that sparked the Missing Women's Task Force when she joined the investigation.

But when she did look at the files, she found things that should have been followed up on. They eventually were.

Lawyer Adrian Brooks asked Kingsbury whether she was satisfied that the search done for missing women was thorough.

"I can only answer for the investigations that I know about and I have reviewed," Kingsbury said, not specifying whether she was satisfied.

"There are still historical missing women that are reported to us to this day."

Many family members of the missing women and community advocates were highly critical of Vancouver police's handling of the cases, saying they were unable to get police to take the disappearances seriously.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070216/pickton_trial_070216/20070216?hub=Canada

Rle7

02-20-2007, 07:19 PM

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

One of the many horrors in Robert "Willie" Pickton’s serial-killing trial was revealed in graphic detail Tuesday, along with evidence that police found a high-powered handgun at the Pickton farm.
Jurors showed little reaction when they were shown a photo of the most grotesque evidence presented so far.

Crown prosecutor warned that he would be discussing a graphic photo, a picture of the contents of a green garbage can found in the slaughterhouse next to Pickton’s trailer. A brown garbage can had been inserted into the green one, and when the brown one was removed, remains of Mona Wilson, who disappeared in December 2001, were discovered inside.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=acbd4832-aeee-4721-95b9-c8edb3151305&rfp=dta

Rle7

02-25-2007, 12:16 PM

Warning to readers: Some of the content of this story is graphic and may offend some readers. Discretion is advised.

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. - Tim Sleigh's life changed the moment he set foot on the messy Port Coquitlam pig farm. That was five years ago.

A forensic identification specialist and RCMP veteran, Sergeant Sleigh was used to chasing homicides. He had been doing it for decades, and had mentored other, junior officers in the craft.

This case was different; he knew that immediately. It was already shaping up as huge. Eventually it became the largest forensic investigation in Canada ever.
Sgt. Sleigh would soon find himself in the thick of it. He became a central cog in the investigation.

Within weeks the soft-spoken, mild mannered police veteran made a gruesome discovery, and then witnessed another, and another.

There was a series of power failures. That was followed by a powerful smell emanating from a workshop on the Pickton farm. Sgt. Sleigh followed his nose. It led him to a freezer and to a pair of buckets. He looked inside.

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=965f6ddb-8cca-480f-be8e-81f943f96932&k=82496&p=1

Rle7

03-03-2007, 12:27 PM

Robert Pickton's brother, Dave, is under investigation for his possible involvement in the disappearance of women from Vancouver's skid row.

Testifying at Robert Pickton's multiple-murder trial, Detective Constable Michael McDonald told court yesterday that Dave Pickton was being investigated with respect to missing women whose disappearances are not linked to the current trial.

The investigation is continuing as of today, he said in response to questions from Robert Pickton's defence lawyer, Richard Brooks.

Vancouver police have identified more than 60 women who disappeared from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside in recent years. Robert Pickton, 57, is on trial for the murder of six of the women. He has been charged with the murder of an additional 20 women. A date for a second trial has not yet been set.

His younger brother, Dave, has not been charged in the missing-women case, but his name has come up frequently during the trial.
This week at the trial, the jury heard that police believed Robert was controlled by his brother Dave.

RCMP officer Tim Sleigh testified that he had the impression that Robert was "mentally diminished" and Dave was the brains of the two. Dave was condescending to Robert and protective of him, according to Sgt. Sleigh. Robert seemed to be submissive and deferred to his brother when asked a question, the jury heard.

The jury also heard Robert Pickton say during a videotaped interview with police that his brother was not involved. His comment came in response to a police officer asking whether Dave "took part in this stuff."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070302.BCPICKTON02/TPStory/National

I think the whole Pickton family needs sterilization to keep from reproducing these monsters.

samhoney

03-03-2007, 02:45 PM

RCMP officer Tim Sleigh testified that he had the impression that Robert was "mentally diminished" and Dave was the brains of the two. Dave was condescending to Robert and protective of him, according to Sgt. Sleigh. Robert seemed to be submissive and deferred to his brother when asked a question, the jury heard.
That is absolutely how it happened. Dave orchestrated the idea of killing these women and sent Robert out to find these women. Do not be surprised if you hear about this case's huge connection to the Hells Angels and the film studio that was owned by Dave Pickton.

Let's see... possible snuff films, owning a film studio complete with state of the art editing equipment and the Hell's Angels. Now, where do you think all of this is going?

Oh yeah, I almost forgot: the above is "allegedly" how it happened. ;)

EDIT: These two brothers are criminal rednecks who happened to have millions of dollars at their disposal. They were pig farmers. How many farmers do you know or heard of that own a state of the art film studio?? I grew up in the rice farming and agricultural areas in Texas. I lived in Oklahoma for a long time. The answer for me is, NONE! It just sets off fireworks and bells in my head that the one brother owned this. Films of what? Look at the evidence and it isn't too hard to figure out. :(

mysteriew

03-04-2007, 01:36 PM

When I first began reading about this I had questions about the brother. Robert could have done it, but I don't think he had the smarts to hide it this well. Brother is right there on the farm and claims to have no knowledge of any of the murders. Brother participated in the parties. I just don't believe it. I think Robert idolized his brother and is trying to cover for him, probably with coaching from the brother.

Rle7

03-09-2007, 04:02 PM

Advisory: Story includes graphic details that some readers may find disturbing.

NEW WESTMINSTER -- RCMP firearms inspectors handled a gun found in accused killer Robert "Willie" Pickton's trailer so extensively that investigators didn't bother examining it for fingerprints, court heard yesterday.

The chrome Smith & Wesson .22 revolver had been discovered with a phallic sex toy over the end of it, on a shelf in Pickton's laundry room, jurors have heard.

Two years after police seized the gun, Vancouver police Const. Rodney Deighton began a forensic examination of the weapon, he testified yesterday at Pickton's serial-killing trial.

Deighton was able to see some fingerprint ridges, but he knew that it had come from the RCMP firearms section, where staff test-fired it, he said. Deighton called a sergeant in that section to find out if the firearms staff had worn gloves when touching the pistol, he said.

"It was extensively handled by this sergeant and his staff without gloves," Deighton testified. "As a result of that it was decided not to print that exhibit."

Court has heard that DNA from Mona Wilson, whose remains were found at the farm, and Pickton were found on the sex toy on the gun's barrel.

Defence lawyer Patrick McGowan suggested Deighton's DNA had contaminated thin plastic found on the gun, and on a seized hair clipper and attachments.

"This is all news to me," Deighton testified.

RCMP Sgt. Margaret Kingsbury testified earlier that "numerous" items seized on the Pickton property were contaminated by investigators' DNA, but DNA profiles of all investigators were kept on file to sort out contamination, jurors have heard.

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=9350f2cd-42c8-4bc6-a3d6-1829fbfb142d&k=61029

samhoney

03-10-2007, 05:52 AM

If anyone wants to keep up to date on the daily events of the Pickton case, you can find them here: http://news.google.ca/news?hl=en&ned=ca&q=robert+pickton&btnG=Search+News

Rle7

03-23-2007, 11:24 PM

RCMP Sergeant Tim Sleigh stood in the witness box at the Robert Pickton trial yesterday, speaking in a gravely monotone voice.

Referring to charts, police documents and photographs, the officer confirmed the identity of fingerprints of Mr. Pickton, his brother Dave and his friend Dinah Taylor on items found in Mr. Pickton's home and on the farm.

The jury followed along as he dryly testified about the numbers assigned to exhibits to keep track of them. He told the court about officers who identified the fingerprints and officers who verified the conclusions. He explained the intricacies involved in comparing fingerprints.

However, he was not asked and did not volunteer anything about the significance of the evidence. That was left to another time during the year-long trial.

Defence lawyer Adrian Brooks drew attention to the fingerprints of Dave Pickton and Ms. Taylor. Prosecutor Michael Petrie asked about fingerprints that turned out to belong to Robert Pickton.

Dave Pickton's right index finger was found on a piece of cardboard in a metallic toolbox that was on top of a freezer holding the partial human remains of two women, Andrea Joesbury and Sereena Abotsway, Sgt. Sleigh said.

Previously, the jury has heard that Dave Pickton was the subject of an investigation into the disappearance of prostitutes from Vancouver's skid row, but he was not a suspect.

Ms. Taylor's fingerprints were found at several places in Mr. Pickton's bedroom, including on a wooden headboard of a bed, on a spray can and on a piece of paper in the drawer of a bedside table. Investigators also found an application for B.C. assistance and a letter from the federal Department of Indian Affairs with her name and fingerprints.

Ms. Taylor had been arrested in February, 2002, two weeks before Robert Pickton, but was released without being charged. Earlier in the trial, Inspector Don Adam testified that Dave Pickton had told police that Ms. Taylor had done some of the killings. However, police did not believe him, Insp. Adam said.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070322.BCPICKTON22/TPStory/National

Rle7

04-06-2007, 07:09 PM

For the first time in Robert "Willie" Pickton's serial-killing trial, a witness has linked items found at the Pickton farm to alleged victims in the case, through DNA profiling.

Civilian RCMP lab analyst Joy Kearsey testified Thursday that a blanket found in Pickton's trailer contained a hair matching the DNA profile of Sereena Abotsway, who vanished in July 2001 and whose decomposing head, hands and feet were found in a bucket in a workshop freezer at the farm.

The chance that another person would share that same DNA profile is one in 42 billion, Kearsey said.

That white blanket, with blue stripes, also bore a hair matching the profile of Robert Pickton, but the DNA material provided a "partial profile," and the chance that someone else could share that profile are one in 180 million, she testified.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=ddffcad7-6aa1-49e0-bbac-a0259969e6f5&k=4764

One in 180 million? There isn't that many people in the entire nation of Canada!

Rle7

04-15-2007, 04:07 PM

More than 50 of the expected 240 Crown witnesses have testified so far in the murder trial of Robert Pickton, which nearing its third month.
Most of those testifying so far were involved in the massive police search for evidence at Pickton’s Port Coquitlam farm.

On Tuesday, the jury heard that the DNA of Sereena Abotsway of Surrey was found on a black blouse seized from Pickton’s home.

An RCMP lab employee also described how a swab taken from a stained orange plastic bag found inside the pig farmer’s slaughterhouse contained DNA that matched a second alleged victim, Andrea Joesbury.

The jury has previously heard that the partial remains of both women were found at the farm.

Pickton is being tried on six counts of first degree murder in the deaths of Abotsway, Joesbury, Mona Wilson, Brenda Wolfe, Georgina Papin and Marnie Frey.

http://www.tricitynews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=74&cat=23&id=963380&more=

Rle7

05-11-2007, 12:32 PM

The trial of Robert Pickton entered a new phase Thursday, away from expert forensics witnesses and on to personal details about the victims and the final weeks of their lives.

Incidents from the women's lives were read into the court record — information taken from files from various government agencies and friends of the six women Pickton is accused of killing.

Pickton has been charged in the deaths of Sereena Abotsway, Andrea Joesbury, Mona Wilson, Marnie Frey, Georgina Papin and Brenda Wolfe, all women who went missing from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Pickton is accused of killing another 20 women and will face a second trial later.

The jury heard how one of the women Pickton is accused of killing, Brenda Wolfe, spent her welfare cheque on Christmas presents for her children and asked for more money to buy "bread and milk."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/05/11/pickton-trial.html

Rle7

05-26-2007, 02:16 PM

Evidence before the jury at Robert Pickton's first-degree-murder trial has been suspended while the trial judge hears submissions from the prosecution and defence lawyers. The jury was sent home Tuesday morning.

Mr. Justice James Williams said yesterday he could not say with any certainty when the trial will resume before the jury. The issues were "somewhat complicated and going to take a reasonable amount of time," he said.

A publication ban prohibits the media from reporting on the matters currently before the court.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070524.BCBRIEFS24-1/TPStory/National

Rle7

05-26-2007, 02:19 PM

Balanced on a tiny pair of high-heeled shoes and wrapped in a black blazer against the chilly January evening, Georgina Papin downed a couple of beers at the Balmoral Hotel with an old friend, got up from the table and rushed off to work.

“She had no money. I gave her 10 bucks,” Papin’s long-time friend Evelyn Youngchief recalled for jurors in the Robert Pickton murder trial last week. “She couldn’t sit still. She had to go to work.”

That was the last time she saw Papin, a mother of seven whom police say was a sex trade worker who disappeared from Vancouver’s seedy Downtown Eastside in March 1999. She was 35.

Three years later, a bone from her hand was discovered at Pickton’s farm.

http://www.surreyleader.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=73&cat=23&id=991243&more=

Alta

06-25-2007, 03:19 PM

The National Post has a timeline of the trial if anyone has missed anything.The more evidence and statements that come out in this trial I cannot believe they have not arrested other people in connection with all these women.Namely his brother.

Here is the link to the timeline,it starts from day one up until recently.

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/pickton/index.html

Rle7

08-07-2007, 09:11 PM

The Robert (Willie) Pickton murder trial resumed today after a two-week summer break.

However, the hearing opened Tuesday morning with legal arguments that cannot be reported because of a publication ban.

It is anticipated the jury may hear some evidence this afternoon.

The trial has been in recess since July 19 so the 12-member jury could have a summer holiday.

Since the trial began on Jan. 22, the Crown has called 97 witnesses.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=a6ac0f51-9ec3-4a2c-a165-4c5122c57956&k=20309

Taximom

08-08-2007, 03:02 AM

Thanks for the update, Rle7. I can't believe it's gone on this long. I think I'd be having a nervous breakdown if I were one of the jurors. :sick:

Rle7

08-26-2007, 01:56 PM

Whether jurors will hear Robert Pickton defend himself against accusations that he's Canada's worst serial killer could soon become clear after his defence lawyers begin laying out their case Monday.

Although Canadian law required the Crown to tell the defence team about each of the 98 witnesses called for the prosecution, no similar obligation exists for defence lawyers.

So it remains a mystery about whether Pickton will testify himself.

All defence lawyer Adrian Brooks has said is that the defence team is "confident and ready to go" and that their case will last about three weeks.

He gave no hint about how many witnesses his side would call or who they would be.

Pickton himself would be the most eagerly anticipated, but legal experts caution there are up-sides and down-sides to having an accused testify.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2007/08/26/4448050-cp.html

SewingDeb

08-27-2007, 01:46 PM

Your link didn't work but I found another one:

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/PicktonTrial/News/2007/06/04/4234048-cp.html

Rle7

09-08-2007, 10:51 AM

Robert (Willie) Pickton's murder trial was in recess Friday and will resume Monday.

This past week marked the beginning of the defence case.

In a 20-minute opening statement, defence lawyer Adrian Brooks asked the jury to consider Pickton's level of intelligence, suggesting he was not smart enough to understand what he was saying to police immediately after his arrest.

The defence also said it would challenge some of the DNA evidence presented by the Crown and the testimony of at least two key Crown witnesses, Lynn Ellingsen and Pat Casanova.

Pickton's lawyers have called eight witnesses so far. A couple of them testified the accused's Port Coquitlam pig farm was a bustling place, not the "isolated" property where the Crown contends the murders took place.

However, prosecutors have aggressively cross-examined those witnesses, including one who admitted she was untruthful about some of her evidence.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=8014f978-7788-4cff-a4e5-9770a617b8ab

Rle7

11-10-2007, 12:21 PM

Closing arguments in Robert (Willie) Pickton's murder trial have been postponed for one week.

Defence and Crown lawyers appeared before Justice James Williams on Wednesday, and a request was made for more time to prepare the final summations for the jury.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=7369febc-0b22-4ac4-a5f0-57da7449f8eb

Taximom

11-10-2007, 12:35 PM

This has to be one of the longest trials in history. Is there any doubt locally how this will end? Surely he will be convicted!

bing1

11-14-2007, 02:57 PM

I live in Vancouver and as far as I can see there is no doubt that he will be convicted. There is just so much evidence and that is one of the reasons they only charged him with a few of the murders. The others charges will follow once he is safely put away. :woohoo:

Rle7

11-19-2007, 11:49 PM

The lawyer for a pig farmer accused of being Canada's worst serial killer opened the defense's final arguments Monday by denying the man ever confessed to killing six women.

Robert "Willie" Pickton went on trial last January on the first six of 26 first-degree murder charges filed against him in the deaths of women, most of them prostitutes and drug addicts from a seedy Vancouver neighborhood.

Prosecutors said early in the trial that the 57-year-old Pickton told an undercover officer he killed 49 women and was caught before he could reach his goal of 50.

Lawyer Adrian Brooks urged jurors to keep an open mind and reject the prosecution's interpretation of what Pickton said

"This is nothing like a confession. It is not a confession at all," Brooks said.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5itRxUkKqAeqRi4ulOppAxjHSCC0wD8T11T681

Taximom

11-20-2007, 12:36 AM

Thanks, bing1, for the local viewpoint. I can't imagine how this creep will be treated in prison.

Thanks for the update, Rle7.

Rle7

11-22-2007, 08:46 AM

Among the rogue's gallery of hookers, junkies and grifters drawn to Robert "Willie" Pickton's pig farm, like moths to a flame, there lurked an assortment of at least potential killers.

To hear the defence team tell it, punitive maniacs were thick on the ground, any one of whom – but two in particular, three if the defendant's domineering younger brother is included – could have slain the six drug-addled prostitutes Pickton stands accused of murdering and dismembering.

The forensic evidence, lawyer Adrian Brooks posited yesterday, is just as compelling against others who frequented the property, even lived there, and they could easily have committed the gruesome crimes. Indeed, had police not homed in so obstinately on Robert Pickton as their fait accompli suspect, more extensive examination of evidence would have perchance mutated the investigation, Brooks suggested, with other individuals in the defendant's box today.

http://www.thestar.com/columnists/article/278907

Rle7

11-26-2007, 09:21 AM

A small group of friends and relatives of women missing from the Downtown Eastside released balloons Sunday into a beautiful sunny sky as they remembered loved ones who vanished years ago.

As music played, one by one the mourners laid flowers, candy canes and other Christmas decorations on a memorial bench in Crab Park.

The bench facing Burrard Inlet was dedicated years earlier to the long list of women -- most of whom worked in the survival sex trade and/or had drug addictions -- who were vanishing from city streets.

Two photographs were propped on the bench: one of Marnie Frey, as a smiling 14-year-old with braces, and one of Cara Ellis, when she was a young girl of eight or nine.

A few years later, when those children became women struggling with addictions, they both disappeared. That was in 1997.

Robert (Willie) Pickton has been charged in both their deaths.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=7f69fe11-fecb-49c2-9864-b4a3397e550c

Rle7

11-28-2007, 05:43 PM

Jurors can convict Robert (Willie) Pickton even if they believe he acted with others, Justice James Williams said Tuesday as he began instructions to the jury.

"It is not necessary for you to conclude that Mr. Pickton acted alone," he said.

"You may find that Mr. Pickton acted in concert with other persons, although you may not know who they are.

To convict on each of the six first-degree murder counts in this trial, jurors must decide that Pickton "actively participated in killing the victim."

Williams told the jury murder is first-degree if the perpetrator planned to kill and did so deliberately.

The judge also addressed the gruesome nature of some aspects of the case.

"Some of the testimony you heard and exhibits you saw have the capacity to be shocking and upsetting," he said. "There's a concern that the evidence of that nature may arouse feelings of revulsion and hostility that can interfere with the objective and impartial approach that jurors are expected to bring to their task.

"I want you to be aware of that possibility and ensure that it does not happen to you."

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=b8204739-c720-4562-b885-c6555ddd64a2&k=47275

You couldn't pay me enough to sit on that jury. Enduring 10 months of horrendous testimony and now the judge is taking three days to instruct the jury.

I wouldn't be surprised if all the jurors just voted guilty right away to get out of reviewing all that testimony and evidence.

And this is just phase one. Another trial is slated for the other victims.

Jay78

12-06-2007, 12:10 PM

jury still out on this one going onto the the 6th day.. people are beginning to worry..

Taximom

12-06-2007, 12:28 PM

What the heck?! I know here it takes a while to fill out all the paperwork for each charge in a case. Could that be contributing to this length of time in this case? I thought deciding guilty would be the easy part.

wtsn5

12-06-2007, 01:56 PM

Taximom

I don't know if Picton was smart enough to pull this off and get away with it for so long. Plus with all the weirdos that came and went on his farm it hards to tell if he did this or if one of the other "unsavory" characters that hung around him did it.
Plus as a side note a guy that was just killed in Oakville Ontario has links to the Pickton case - so the mystery continues.
At first I thought he did it but after reading several articles I'm not sure I have my doubts.

Taximom

12-06-2007, 03:07 PM

Thanks, wtsn5. I thought from earlier reading (last year?!) that one escaped and was an eyewitness. Maybe that was another case here...

wtsn5

12-06-2007, 03:45 PM

Jury asked the judge a question.

here is a link to the news article. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/12/06/pickton-trial.html

jilly

12-06-2007, 04:47 PM

Well...it sounds to me like someone doesn't think Pickton was directly involved.
Nothing would surprise me in this case. Peter Richie the defense attorney is brilliant. I met him years ago.

jilly

12-06-2007, 07:31 PM

Rle7

12-06-2007, 09:02 PM

I just heard on the radio that the Judge (at this minute) is going over his earlier instructions to the jury in response to their question. He said he previously erred.
It's a bit confusing and there is no link right now about the latest development.

Here's a link to the latest developments:

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jXQNN5KSc82ij6vHtuwLo8TaTGhA

Rle7

12-08-2007, 11:49 AM

A Christmas tree decorated with lights and 26 white angels mysteriously appeared overnight Friday in the courtyard in front of the New Westminster courthouse where the jury deciding the fate of accused killer Robert (Willie) Pickton began its seventh day of verdict deliberations.

The tree was apparently left anonymously. Its lights now have been plugged in and it provides some seasonal cheer for those gathered at the courthouse to await the verdict, including the families of victims.

The jury was silent again Friday morning after coming back Thursday with a question.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=c5f166a3-da56-484b-bd51-d38ac22733b2&k=9145

jilly

12-08-2007, 12:16 PM

jilly

12-09-2007, 01:44 PM

I had to come back and post this better photo of the angels. They are obviously hand made and absolutely beautiful. What a lovely gesture! Click to view the larger image.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071207/pickton_trial_071207/20071207?hub=Canada&s_name=

Rle7

12-09-2007, 03:21 PM

I heard a rumor that the jury is ready to deliver a verdict at 11:30AM PT today. I'm watching the news in BC...

Rle7

12-09-2007, 03:24 PM

The jury in Robert William Pickton's murder trial is to begin delivering its verdict in New Westminster, B.C., at 11:30 a.m. PT Sunday.

The seven men and five women on the jury will return to B.C. Supreme Court with their decision after eight days of deliberations.

Pickton, a 58-year-old pig farmer from Port Coquitlam, B.C., was charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of six women who went missing from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside — Sereena Abotsway, Mona Wilson, Andrea Joesbury, Brenda Wolfe, Marnie Frey and Georgina Papin.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/12/09/pickton-verdict.html

Rle7

12-09-2007, 03:34 PM

Live streaming webcast:

http://www.canada.com/globaltv/bc/index.html

Taximom

12-09-2007, 03:42 PM

They make they jurors work on Sundays?! Thanks for the link.

CyberLaw

12-09-2007, 03:44 PM

Guilty - 6 counts of second degree murder, according to the CBC(Canadian Broadcast Corp) live from the courthouse.

Finally justice has been done for the six victims and their families. Long trial, long time for a verdict, but finally justice has prevailed.

The juries are "not working", they were given a charge by the judge, were separated from the public and they deliberate until they have a verdict. It is not like they have a job "and" are given days off. Everyone is waiting for the verdict. They are given breaks, meals etc. But their "job" is to come up with a verdict, be it 10 minutes or 10 days.

Taximom

12-09-2007, 03:53 PM

Thanks, Cyberlaw. LOL I'm apparently not watching a "live" account of what's happening!

Thanks also for the explanation about working vs not working. :rolleyes:

Rle7

12-09-2007, 03:56 PM

:behindbar I'm glad Pickton's going to spend the rest of his life in jail. I hope they house him in the coldest jail in Canada.

:behindbar :behindbar :behindbar :behindbar :behindbar :behindbar :behindbar :behindbar

lorelei

12-09-2007, 07:42 PM

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/12/09/canada.murder.trial.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Here's a link to a CNN story on the conviction.

kazzbar

12-09-2007, 09:20 PM

Goodbye MR Pickton...I am so glad you are NEVER going to see the light of day again.
The jury definetly got it right...
I do not think there is a sentance long enough for this creep..
Now for his brother...

CyberLaw

12-09-2007, 09:43 PM

Yeah, no doubt he will appeal. As there was very little if any direct evidence. Now he will go on trial for the other murders. But, I wonder if the Police will "investigate" Dinah Taylor and Casanova.

I do hope the Police will seek to initiate a hearing to have Picton declared a dangerous offender. If not, he will be on full parole in as little as 25 years.

I very much doubt anyone is going to let this little piece of waste walk the streets again.

kazzbar

12-09-2007, 09:53 PM

jilly

12-09-2007, 11:46 PM

Full parole after 25, no way, I hope that is wrong..
This case is just soo sad and it is like the victims were just trash...
Depravity at it's worst.

No way he will ever be paroled. He's going away for the rest of his life.

Legal observers opine on why jury reached second-degree verdicts:

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5grvVUqJ_di1vdQ9FPJkA637ZaLBA

kazzbar

12-10-2007, 12:00 AM

No way he will ever be paroled. He's going away for the rest of his life.

Legal observers opine on why jury reached second-degree verdicts:

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5grvVUqJ_di1vdQ9FPJkA637ZaLBAIf he is 'ever' paroled then there is no justice..
We do not get much info here regarding this case but thanks to you all out there,I have been able to keep up..

cami

12-10-2007, 07:37 AM

If he is 'ever' paroled then there is no justice..
We do not get much info here regarding this case but thanks to you all out there,I have been able to keep up..

Oh they'll never let him out. I am sure the Crown is moving to have him declared a DO.

Rle7

12-10-2007, 10:34 AM

Karin Joesbury looked up at the grey sky, tears running from her eyes and overcome by the emotion of hearing Robert (Willie) Pickton had been convicted of the second-degree murder of her daughter Andrea.

Surrounded by relatives of the other five women Pickton was convicted of killing - and of the other 20 he is accused of killing - Joesbury wept as the mournful lyrics of the song Missing played while candles were lit in front of the New Westminster Courthouse Sunday.

Andrea Joesbury's grandfather, Jack Cummer, had asked Canadian poet Susan Musgrave to write the lyrics to the song, in memory of his granddaughter and the other missing women. Listening to the song seemed too much for Karin Joesbury to bear.

http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=0839bdf8-f0c1-4b99-af4b-40b947d99bf2

Rle7

12-12-2007, 11:11 AM

Serial killer Robert (Willie) Pickton was sentenced tonight to life in prison without parole for 25 years for the murder of six women who disappeared from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside between 1997 and 2001.

The judge's decision was met by loud cheers from the victims' families after an emotional day filled with gut-wrenching stories contained in victim impact statements read in court.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=94d2f590-2b4c-4eca-b1a5-501ec2f6f996&k=34461

Taximom

12-12-2007, 11:28 AM

And sadly, the life sentence for the jurors has begun as well. I pray they can erase what they've seen and heard from their minds eventually. I will also pray for the families of the victims.

Rle7

01-29-2008, 12:24 PM

He told the media outside the court that he understands the resources allocated to segregated prisoners such as Mr. Pickton are a strain.

Mr. Ritchie said Mr. Pickton had also complained that it was cold.

"It was 38 degrees [Fahrenheit, 3 C] in his cell," Mr. Ritchie told reporters.

"I don't think it's a very nice place at all. I was out there and the accommodations out there are very difficult."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080129.wbcpickton29/BNStory/National/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20080129.wbcpickton29

Well, BOO HOO :boohoo: At least my hopes were briefly answered.

Pickton was later sent back from Kent max security to his warm pre-trial cell near Vancouver so his attorneys could easily access him during his appeals. At least his cold cell at Kent will be waiting his return :behindbar