Miles Morrisseau
ICT
Melissa Robinson was with family members in Montreal when they heard the news that her cousin’s killer had been convicted of first-degree murder.
Jeremy Skibicki, a serial killer who confessed to targeting vulnerable Indigenous women in Winnipeg, Manitoba, was convicted Thursday, July 11, of killing four women, including Robinson’s cousin, Morgan Harris.
“We got the convictions we wanted,” Robinson said. “We’re elated to hear that that monster will never step foot out of a prison.”
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Skibicki, 37, had admitted killing the women, but his attorneys argued he was not criminally responsible because of mental illness.
Court of Queen’s Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal, who handled the case rather than a jury, found otherwise, convicting him in all four cases. The conviction means Skibicki will get a life sentence with no chance of parole for at least 25 years, when he is 62 years old.
“The facts of this case are mercilessly graphic – those facts were largely uncontested,” Joyal said. “It was admitted as fact the killings of all four women, and the unspeakable horrors that were unleashed in those four killings were admitted by the accused.”
Joyal said the case is “emblematic of much of what is associated with the tragedies that underlie the very grim reality of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada.”
In addition to rejecting the mental illness defense, the justice noted that race was an issue.
“It is apparent from his confession with police that the accused is a man who clearly expressed racist views,” Joyal said.
The four women were killed in Winnipeg during the spring of 2022 from mid-March to mid-May, and their remains are believed to have ended up in city landfills, sparking protests over the government’s refusal to search the landfill for their bodies.
Skibicki admitted killing Harris and Marcedes Myran, both from Pine Creek First Nation, as well as Rebecca Contois of the O-Chi Chak Ko Sipi First Nation and an unidentified woman given the name Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman.
The conviction drew relief and praise from Manitoba chiefs and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew.
“Today is a significant day in the history of Manitoba,” said Kinew, the first First Nations person to ever serve as a provincial premier in Canada. “It is important that there is accountability for what are some of the worst crimes in our province’s history.
“I thank Chief Justice Glenn Joyal for showing respect to the victims, their families and the context of MMIWG2S+ in which the verdict was delivered.”
Justice at last
Although it was known early in the case that the women’s remains had been put into trash bins and dumped into city landfills, the refusal by the Winnipeg Police Service and the Province of Manitoba to search two landfills in the area led to protests in the streets and an occupation at the Brady Landfill that is nearing 600 days.
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—First Nations chief challenges Winnipeg police to do proper investigation
The provincial government’s refusal to search the landfill became a defining issue in the most recent Manitoba election, helping to put Kinew and the New Democratic Party into power. Kinew called family members shortly after the verdict.
“I spoke to the families of Marcedes Myran, Morgan Harris and Rebecca Contois to offer them support and hear their reactions to today’s news. I also lift up Mashkode-Bizhiki’ikwe, the victim in this case whose identity we do not yet know,” Kinew in a release. “These fellow Manitobans have been put through a profound loss, a disturbing trial and much more. Through it all, they have reminded our society that every person is alike in value, that we ought not to leave anyone behind and that we must always pursue justice.”
Cambria Harris, the daughter of Morgan Harris, spoke to reporters during a press conference after the judge’s ruling. The family has been in Montreal to attend the Assembly of First Nations’ annual assembly to continue to advocate for the victims and to push for an inquiry into the case.
“Today, we found out the man who took my mom’s life and three other women’s was found guilty on all four counts of first-degree murder, and criminally responsible,” Cambria Harris said. “So he knew exactly what he was doing at the time that he committed those acts. He does not have a mental illness. He preyed on these women at shelters, he took them home and he took their lives and then disposed of them in a landfill. That’s what happened here.”
Elle Harris, the youngest daughter in the Harris family, said she appreciates the victory but said there are others who have not received justice.
“It’s time to start fighting for our people,” she said. “It’s time to start fighting not only for my mom, not only for Marcedes or Buffalo Woman, but for every other woman because I’m sure they’re sitting behind the screens feeling heartbroken – because their daughter’s missing, because their Auntie’s missing, and we’re getting this justice and they’re not and I want them to know that I feel for them.”
‘You can’t get away with it anymore’
National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak of the Assembly of First Nations joined Manitoba chiefs and the women’s families at the press conference.
She spoke about the assembly’s evaluation of the progress made on the fifth anniversary of the Final Report issued by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Women and Girls Final Report. The report cited what it termed 231 Calls for Justice to uncover the reasons behind the missing and murdered peoples crisis and actions needed to address it.
“Regrettably, we could only find two calls that have been fully implemented,” Woodhouse Nepinak said. “The majority showed little or no progress. This failure by federal and provincial governments is not acceptable to our people. Substantive action is needed now more than ever before to guarantee the safety for First Nations women, girls and gender-diverse people.”
The chiefs in assembly passed a draft resolution calling on the Assembly of First Nations to advocate for an independent inquiry into the murders, led by a commission of First Nations people.
“This inquiry must address the shortcomings in the search efforts, evidence management, and the responsiveness of the Winnipeg Police Service and the Province of Manitoba,” Woodhouse Nepinak said.
Chief David Nepinak, chief of the Pine Creek Nation and a former grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, nonetheless praised the judge’s ruling in the Skibicki case. Nepanak is a common name in Manitoba, and he is unrelated to Woodhouse Nepinak.
“This is an important milestone that we need to observe,” he said, “because what happens now is a light shines on anybody who’s trying to work in the shadows and hurt Indigenous women, a light will shine on you.”
He continued, “The criminal justice system will do its work to do its job. This is an important milestone for us to observe because you can’t get away with it anymore.”
Bringing them home
The provincial government has now committed to a search of the Prairie Green Landfill near Winnipeg, where the remains of Myran and Harris are believed to be. Originally the Brady Landfill was the focus of the search and supporters of the families remained encamped near those grounds.
It is expected that the search for remains will begin in the fall.
“On behalf of the Manitoba government, I thank the families of these women. The people of this great land join you in remembering your loved ones,” Kinew said. “Our collective action must now turn to preventing crimes like this from happening again in the future, lifting up the most vulnerable in our society and searching the Prairie Green Landfill to advance the healing journey of these families.”
The chiefs in attendance at the press conference as well as elected officials and thousands of voices online offered condolences and appreciation for the work of the victims’ families, who kept their stories in the spotlight and the pressure on those in power.
“We did work that we shouldn’t have been prepared to have done,” said Cambria Harris said. “The police should have did it. The government should have did it. But my family pushed hard to get our say and we’re here.
She continued, “We’re standing here and you can finally say that we’re finally searching the landfill for Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, and we’re going to bring them home. I can promise you that.”
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