Pig Farmer Convicted Of Six Murders

Canada's Worst Suspected Serial Killer Hears Verdict In First Of 26 Cases

(AP)  A pig farmer accused of being Canada's worst serial killer was found guilty of second-degree murder in the deaths of six women Sunday.

Robert 'Willie' Pickton was facing the first of 26 murder charges for the deaths of women, most of them prostitutes and drug addicts from a seedy Vancouver neighborhood.

Pickton, 58, was found guilty of the murders of Mona Wilson, Sereena Abotsway, Marnie Frey, Brenda Wolfe, Andrea Joesbury and Georgina Papin. The defense acknowledged that their remains were found on Pickton's farm outside Vancouver, but denied he was responsible for their deaths.

Pickton listened to the verdict with his head bowed. He will receive life in prison and will not be eligible for parole for at least 10 years when he is sentenced Tuesday. The jury had no recommendation Sunday on whether to extend that 10-year period. When the jury entered the courtroom again for that announcement, Pickton smirked.

Two jurors, both women, wiped tears from their eyes while the verdict was read.

The jury of seven men and five women took 10 days to reach a verdict. They had the option of finding Pickton guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder or manslaughter or not guilty on any of the six counts.

Second-degree murder is a lesser charge that means a murder was not planned. First-degree murder, which means a murder was planned, also carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison but does not offer parole eligibility for 25 years.

"It should have been first degree," said Rick Frey, father of Marnie Frey. "You don't have six murders over that time and not have first degree."

Family members and friends gathered for a candlelight vigil outside the courthouse after the verdicts.

Last week, Judge James Williams reviewed the transcript of a videotape in which Pickton is heard telling an undercover police officer that he had planned to kill one more woman before stopping at 50, taking a break and then killing another 25 women.

"I was going to do one more; make it an even 50," Pickton told the officer, who had been planted in the accused killer's cell and gained his trust.

A day earlier, Papin's three sisters cried and clutched each other's hands in court while the judge reviewed the testimony of witness Lynn Ellingson, who said she walked in on a blood-covered Pickton as Papin's body dangled from a chain in the farm's slaughterhouse.

The judge also reviewed testimony of prosecution witness Andrew Bellwood, who said Pickton told him how he strangled his alleged victims and fed their remains to his pigs.

Pickton has been charged in the slayings of 26 women, but almost 40 others are on a police list of missing women. The investigation into their disappearances is ongoing.

Prosecutors said Pickton will be tried for the 20 other murder charges later, but no date has been set.

Health officials once issued a tainted meat advisory to neighbors who might have bought pork from Pickton's farm, concerned the meat might have contained human remains.

[erasmus6]

Pickton was sentenced today to life in prison and he will not be eligable for parole for 25 years, not 10. He will be AT LEAST 83 by the time he is able to get out but I doubt he ever will.

[erasmus6]

"Canada is glad to make sure he lives the rest of his life without any problems or worrys." posted by ToolMangler

If he was dead, he would have no more worrys but he ain''t and so therefore he is going to have plenty of worrys. His worrys begin when he has to start bending over for all his cell mates.

[erasmus6]

"I assume from that statement, that his is facing further charges in the other murders. Lets hope the next jury gets it right!" posted by nolalou

There are many more woman that are missing they just haven''t found them yet.

The only reason the jurors came up with a 2nd degree murder conviction is because they figure that he was not alone in these crimes. Also, even though the bodies were found on his property, I don''t know if they actually found any of his DNA on anything.

[erasmus6]

"This man will be able to get parole? I just do not get it at all." posted by carolrhill

This guy ain''t going to get parole. They will never let him out.

[erasmus6]

"For cases as extreme as this, Canada should definitely consider capital punishment as a justifiable. Mass murderers really don''''t deserve to live out the rest of their lives." posted by yankeerebel7

We don''t get that many extreme cases like this.
We do have the death penalty for people that kill cops.

[ivandrago]

This should make an interesting horror movie. I just hope that it doesn''t focus so much on the torture like Saw, or Hostel, but tries to build suspense and foreboding.

[usbrit-2009]

If you''re interested in reading more about this creature try www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers. The full story is even worse than described here.

[writescripts]

Why would you not execute this man for pre-meditated murder? Legal system really stinks!

[fibonacci_]

What a title of an article: "Pig Farmer Convicted of Six Murders".

[b-easy63]

Posted by incog-nito at 04:38 AM : Dec 10, 2007

Yes. I can accept the fact of mistakes--it is a part of life and unfortunately, it will and does happen. You may be able to accept the fact of life in prison, but since sentences are often communted or can be reversed or people receive credit for time or the prisons get overcrowded, etc to propose life in prison is not a guarantee and many men PREFER life in prison as it is the only life that they know. As for solitary confinement and Supermaxes, they cost about 3X times the price as general population. Once a sentence is given, what happens down the road as parole boards, gov. and the system changes is out of our hands. It''s okay if you cannot stomach or countenance the loss of even one innocent life. That is why we have the "state" assuming the ultimate role of victim and executioner--to recuse individuals from the huge weight of error and horror of murder themselves.

As Mr. Spock said: "The needs of the many must outweigh the needs of a few" Not a perfect system, not a panacea, but the murders and murderers are not stopping or even slowing down due to the moral dilemma of some.