Serial killer Robert Pickton, who was convicted of killing six women and confessed to murdering 49 others, has died after being assaulted by another inmate at Port-Cartier Institution in Quebec. The 74-year-old had been serving life sentence for second-degree murder since 2007.
Pickton's crimes left a devastating impact on communities, particularly Indigenous peoples and families of the missing women. At least 65 women disappeared from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighborhood between 1978 and 2001, leaving their remains on Pickton's pig farm in Port Coquitlam.
The investigation into Pickton's crimes was the largest serial killer investigation in Canadian history. Many of his victims were indigenous women, with police accused of not taking their cases seriously due to their status as sex workers or drug addicts.
During his trial, Pickton confessed to killing 49 women during an interview with an undercover police officer in a jail cell. The case made international headlines and resulted in the largest crime scene in Canadian history, with investigators taking 200,000 DNA samples.
The news of Pickton's death brought mixed emotions to families of his victims. Cynthia Cardinal, whose sister Georgina Papin was murdered by Pickton, expressed relief but also sadness for those who did not have their cases heard in court.
Michele Pineault, the mother of Stephanie Lane who was killed at age 20 but whose death Pickton was not charged for, expressed elation that 'there was no justice' for her daughter.
The Correctional Service of Canada is conducting an investigation into the assault on Pickton. The service said in a statement, 'We are mindful that this offender's case has had a devastating impact on communities in British Columbia and across the country, including Indigenous peoples, victims and their families. Our thoughts are with them.'
Pickton's confirmed victims were six: Sereena Abotsway, Mona Wilson, Andrea Joesbury, Brenda Ann Wolfe, Papin and Marnie Frey.
