‘An evil monster’: Winnipeg serial killer sentenced to life in prison in slayings of four Indigenous women 

Winnipeg serial killer Jeremy Skibicki was formally sentenced to four concurrent life sentences with no chance of parole for 25 years in the slayings of four Indigenous women.

Skibicki showed no emotion as the sentence was handed down Wednesday. When asked by Court of King’s Bench Justice Glenn Joyal if he had anything to say, Skibicki replied, “no.”

Earlier, Skibicki refused to stand when asked to do so by Justice Joyal, only getting to his feet after being spoken to by his defence lawyer.

Before the trial began, Skibicki admitted to killing Rebecca Contois, 24; Morgan Harris, 39; Marcedes Myran, 26; and an unidentified woman an Indigenous grassroots community has named Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman.

Relatives and supporters of the women addressed Wednesday’s sentencing hearing with multiple victim impact statements, directly telling the convicted killer how his actions impacted them.

“I wake up in pain, not just emotionally but physically from the sheer amount of stress this caused onto my body,” said Cambria Harris, Morgan Harris’ daughter. “Some days I don’t even want to wake up, and I keep thinking this is just a bad nightmare. But it’s my everyday living reality. The impact this has had on my mental health is cruel. A lifetime of suffering and grief I and my family have to live with, because he stole her life.”

In total, 12 victim impact statements and two community impact statements were read in court Wednesday, as artwork was displayed in the courtroom paying respect to his victims.

“He’s just an evil monster that can rot in jail and I hope he get’s what’s coming to him. He made my girl suffer; he needs to suffer,” said Myran’s grandmother Donna Bartlett.

“I’m happy that he will be behind bars, but there is never going to be enough done to help me feel any better,” added Myran’s sister Jorden. “What he did to those women, he deserves the exact the same thing.”

Sentence does not reflect gravity of offences, judge says

Despite Skibicki being found guilty on four counts of first-degree murder in July, the convicted killer will serve his four counts concurrently since the Supreme Court struck down the usage of consecutive life sentences.

On Wednesday, Justice Glenn Joyal said he was bound by law to impose the automatic sentence.

“Make no mistake Mr. Skibicki, because of the current state of the law, the only available sentence that I could impose today will regrettably not adequately reflect the gravity of these offences and your moral culpability,” Joyal said, calling Skibicki’s killings “vile.”

Reaction from Kinew, Indigenous leaders

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said the province’s justice system sent a message that “Indigenous women are as loved and valued as everyone else in Manitoba.”

“On behalf of the people of our province, I want to thank the families and community leaders who made victim and community impact statements in court today,” Kinew said in a statement. “Their words were full of emotion, charged with strength and demonstrated unparalleled courage.

“For over two years and particularly today, the families have spoken tirelessly about their experiences. This difficult work represents a significant public service and furthers the provincial and national conversation about missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people.”

WATCH: Serial killer Jeremy Skibicki guilty on all counts

Kinew says the Manitoba government is “committed to preventing horrific crimes like this from happening again,” adding work will now continue towards searching the Prairie Green landfill, where the remains of Harris and Myran are believed to be.

Grand Chief Cathy Merrick of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs told court the killings have left deep scars and will be felt for generations. After the sentencing, Merrick said it set an important precedent in Manitoba.

“It sends a clear message to all predators who prey upon vulnerable Indigenous women: you will not get away with targeting our women. You will face justice,” Merrick said in a statement. “This violence is not tolerated in Manitoba, and it is certainly not tolerated within our nations.

“We will continue to stand strong in protecting our women, uplifting all families affected by gendered violence, and ensuring that those who commit such terrible, racially motivated, and hateful acts are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

The Grand Chief of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) said he hopes Wednesday’s sentencing helps the grieving families in their healing process.

“The trauma and grief endured by our relatives at the hand of this admitted serial killer is unimaginable,” said Grand Chief Jerry Daniels. “The bravery of our relatives to stand up in court in the face of such trauma shows remarkable resilience.”

Skibicki targeted the women

The trial heard Skibicki targeted the women at homeless shelters, then strangled or drowned them before disposing of their remains in garbage bins in 2022.

The killings came to light when a man looking for scrap metal found Contois’ partial remains in a dumpster in Skibicki’s neighbourhood. More of her remains were discovered at a city-run landfill.

During a police interrogation, Skibicki admitted to killing the four women. He told police the killings were racially motivated and cited white supremacist beliefs.

At trial, a defence lawyer said Skibicki admitted to the killings but was too mentally ill to be held criminally responsible.

The judge said he agreed with a psychiatrist who testified for the Crown that Skibicki didn’t have a mental disorder that affected his ability to know the killings were morally wrong.

–With files from The Canadian Press