Winnipeg man admits to killing 4 women, says he's not criminally responsible

The trial of a man accused of killing four women in Winnipeg will now be heard by a judge alone, a change that comes after Jeremy Skibicki's lawyers said he admits to killing the women but will ask to be found not criminally responsible.

The Crown says that given it no longer has to prove Skibicki, 37, caused their deaths, they are willing to proceed with a judge alone trial.

Crown attorney Christian Vanderhooft revealed the update in court on Monday morning, saying the shift in their position came after lawyers for Skibicki said last week they planned to admit their client unlawfully killed all four women in 2022 and argue he was not criminally responsible due to mental disorder.

In 2022, Winnipeg police charged Skibicki with first-degree murder in the deaths of four women: Morgan Harris, 39, Marcedes Myran, 26, and Rebecca Contois, 24, and a fourth unidentified woman, who has been given the name Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, or Buffalo Woman, by community members.

Vanderhooft said prosecutors are no longer concerned with proving Skibicki committed the offences he's accused of — and instead are now looking at proving he was criminally responsible for the women's deaths.

"We've concluded that proceeding by judge alone will provide the best route to making sure this matter proceeds with the necessary flexibility required — a type of flexibility that isn't always easy to achieve in a jury trial," Vanderhooft said.

"Our decision today to proceed by judge alone is not a reflection of our faith in the jury system or a comment on the propriety of judicial independence, or any lack of respect for either mode of trial. Rather, it is a consequence of the Crown's role at all times to continually assess our case and make sure a trial can proceed and conclude in a timely way."

Defence confirmed for the first time last week that they planned to argue a defence of not criminally responsible, as they made arguments on a second attempt to toss the jury scheduled to hear the case.

Prosecutor Vanderhooft said the Crown often consents to judge-alone trials in cases where a person is arguing they were not criminally responsible — when they're advised of that plan early on in the case.

Court of King's Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal said he plans to call in the jury as scheduled on Wednesday to formally discharge them before the start of trial.

More to come.