Murder Most Foul – July 2018

DEBORAH LYNNE JONES
DISAPPEARED
DECEMBER 2000

WENDY CRAWFORD

DISAPPEARED

DECEMBER 2000

KERRY KOSKI

DISAPPEARED

JANUARY 1998

ANDREA BORHAVEN

DISAPPEARED

MARCH 1997

strangers and thieves had virtually

unlimited access to Pickton’s trailer,

said his lawyer.

In IQ tests, Pickton’s verbal and

performance skills were shown to be

below average, but his reasoning above

average.

The trial was the longest in

Canadian history, and by December

9th, 2007, the jury retired to consider

their verdict.

“Keep an open mind, but not an

empty head,” the judge told them.

N

ine days later, the jury found

Robert Pickton guilty on six

counts of second-degree murder, and

he was sentenced to life in prison with

no eligibility for parole for the full 25

years. It was said that a parole board

would be unlikely ever to release him,

which made the sentence for second-

degree murder the same as it would

have been for first-degree.

Many people were surprised that the

jury took so long to reach their verdict,

but the sheer volume of evidence was

immensely demanding. More than

40,000 photos were taken of the crime

scene, 235,000 items were seized,

and there were 600,000 lab exhibits.

Ninety-eight witnesses appeared for the

prosecution, and 30 for the defence.

There were half a million pages of

documents, and Pickton’s own taped

interrogation spanned over 20 hours.

Even more stunning was the verdict

of second-degree murder. It meant

that the jury either did not believe that

Pickton had planned the murders or

that he had acted on his own, although

they clearly believed he was involved.

The obvious problem for jurors

considering a first-degree conviction

was the absence of a smoking gun.

Pickton faced trial for another 20

counts of murder, and there were at

least 20 other women missing from

Low Track he was suspected of killing.

The cost of the investigation was over

Can$120 million (£74 million).

After an unsuccessful appeal in 2009,

the case then went to the Supreme

Court of Canada. In July 2010, their

decision ended the legal battle that

began in 2002.

In a unanimous decision, the

Supreme Court denied Pickton’s

request for a new trial for the

murders of six women. The

ruling meant the families of the

six women would not have to

face another trial. It also meant

Pickton would not be tried for

the deaths of 20 other women.

Crown prosecutors said they

would formally stay charges in

those deaths because Pickton was

already serving the maximum

sentence of 25 years without

possibility of parole until 2032.

For the 62-year-old convict, that

amounted to a life sentence for the

man described as Canada’s worst

serial killer.

CARA LOUISE ELLIS

DISAPPEARED

1996

Many people were

surprised that the

jury took so long to

reach their verdict, but

the sheer volume of

evidence was immensely

demanding

Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers outside the farm