WINNIPEG –
Lawyers for a Winnipeg man accused of killing four women say they plan to argue that he is not criminally responsible because he is mentally ill.
The lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki made the statement in court as the two sides continue to resolve issues before a jury is brought in next week to start hearing evidence.
The defence is seeking to have the high-profile case heard by a judge alone instead of the jury.
They argue the objectivity of jurors may be affected by pretrial publicity.
The arguments in court are not under a publication ban.
Skibicki has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Rebecca Contois, Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran and an unidentified woman.
The partial remains of Contois were found in a garbage bin and at a city-run landfill in 2022. Police have said they believe the remains of Harris and Myran are at a different, privately owned landfill outside the city.
The location of the unidentified woman Indigenous leaders have named Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman, is unknown.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2024.
