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   pickton to face 7 new murder charges

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east
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pickton to face 7 new murder charges
« on: Dec 16^th, 2003, 1:11am »

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rather than dig up the old thread, i thought i would just update people in this new one about the pickton pig farm murder trial. they have evidence to press charges for the deaths of seven more women after excavating his family property for over the last year and a half. while there are still more than 80 other women missing, i am at least glad that the families of these seven women can have some closure if not peace.

Pickton to face 7 new murder charges

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031215.wpick1215_2/ BNStory/National/
Accused killer Robert Pickton will face an additional seven counts of first-degree murder, the prosecutor told B.C. Supreme Court Monday.

Monday's proceedings were intended to set a date for the trial. Neither side is ready to proceed, though, and the next court appearance in June 28.
The British Columbia man, suspected of preying on prostitutes for years, will be tried in 22 deaths. That represents fewer than half the number of women who have disappeared in mysterious circumstances from Vancouver's Lower Eastside.

A task force of RCMP and Vancouver Police officers acknowledges that the total number of missing or confirmed dead standing at 61 dozens of women remain unaccounted for. Last month a spokeswoman for the Vancouver Police said that the remaining individuals would be considered routine homicide victims, not missing women.

Five weeks ago, police finished an exhaustive 21-month search of the seven-hectare pig farm east of Vancouver that Mr. Pickton owned with two of his siblings.

Police initially raided the property in February, 2002, and went over the place with a fine-toothed comb. Mr. Pickton had been arrested within weeks and was charged with killing Ms. Wilson and Ms. Abotsway. The other charges followed.

Mr. Pickton was subsequently charged with the murders of Sereena Abotsway, Mona Wilson, Dianne Rock, Jacqueline McDonell, Heather Bottomley, Andrea Joesbury, Brenda Wolfe, Jennifer Furminger, Helen Hallmark, Patricia Johnson, Georgina Papin, Heather Chinnock, Tanya Holyk, Sherry Irving and Inga Hall.

It was not immediately clear whom the new charges relate to.

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east
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Re: pickton to face 7 new murder charges
« Reply #1 on: Dec 16^th, 2003, 1:11am »

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Accused serial killer faces seven new first-degree murder charges

http://www.canada.com/news/national/story.html?id=97631AF6-B1FA-4809-889 C-DD1305361D4A

GREG JOYCE
Canadian Press

Monday, December 15, 2003

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. (CP) - Accused serial killer Robert Pickton will face seven new first-degree murder charges, bringing the total number of women he's charged with killing to 22, the Crown told court Monday.

The new charges stem from evidence that arose during Pickton's preliminary hearing that began last January and ended in July.

The provincial court judge said at the time that if the hearing had started a month later than it did, he could have ruled Pickton should stand trial on the 22 counts.

Crown prosecutor Mike Petrie told B.C. Supreme Court on Monday that the Crown intended to proceed with 22 counts even though the formal indictment for the new charges has not yet been filed.

Because of a publication ban, the names of the seven new victims cannot be released until Pickton is formally charged. The Crown would not speculate on when that will be.

Monday's appearance was intended to set a trial date, but both sides indicated they weren't yet ready to fix a date.

Pickton's next court appearance is June 28.

All the charges will be dealt with at one trial and if convicted Pickton would be the worst serial killer in Canadian history.

Outside court, Crown spokesman Geoff Gaul explained the process that led to the seven additional counts.

While Pickton went to his preliminary hearing facing 15 charges, Gaul said the Crown led evidence of other missing women.

"He was committed to stand trial on all counts on the information, but as is the Crown prerogative, we have the authority under the Criminal Code to indict on additional counts based on evidence at preliminary."

Investigators finished combing through every centimetre of Pickton's pig farm last month, but Petrie said there are "thousands of exhibits in the queue at the lab" and analysis will take many more months to complete.

The investigation has also been one of the most expensive in Canadian history, costing taxpayers about $25 million so far.

Petrie said the labs have obtained some new equipment to make DNA extraction quicker, but that work will still take at least until June.

Peter Ritchie, Pickton's lawyer, said he understands all the exhibits have not yet been analysed but the process could now be accelerated.

"I don't want to go into it in very much detail but there's better scientific processes available now than there were just a short while ago," he told reporters.

Ritchie, whose client was "anxious to have his trial," said the defence team may have a better idea in June about when it might be ready for a trial.

The defence lawyer also indicated Pickton will be tried by a judge and jury.

Ritchie said the seven additional counts were not unexpected.

"We're not too concerned when the formal (indictment) process will take place," he said. "We've been aware of that (seven more counts) for some time."

But Ritchie said defending Pickton on so many charges is "definitely a challenge."

"It adds to the challenge, trying to analyse all the material we've received. We receive a great deal of material every week."

Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm said the trial will be held in New Westminster likely in the courthouse where Pickton appeared Monday.

The alleged crimes occurred in nearby Port Coquitlam, which falls under the court jurisdiction of New Westminster.

The courtroom has recently been outfitted with a thick plate-glass barrier separating the public gallery from the courtroom.

The official list of women missing from the downtown eastside over the last two decades stands at least 61.

Most of the women on the missing list were drug-addicted prostitutes, prompting critics to charge that police ignored the crimes because the victims weren't regarded as important.

The massive police investigation was sparked by a raid on the Pickton family's sprawling suburban property Feb. 6, 2002.

A huge team of police forensic investigators, augmented by civilian experts, painstakingly searched Pickton properties for 21 months.

When investigators pulled out of the main site, a 45-minute drive east of Vancouver, they had sifted through 338,000 cubic metres of soil and dismantled buildings in a search for evidence.

The property will revert to the owners, the Pickton family.

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