Canadian serial killer Robert Pickton, who brought women to his pig farm near Vancouver in the late 1990s and early 2000s, has died after being attacked in prison. He was 74 years old.
Pickton was serving his sentence at Port-Cartier Institution in Quebec when he was assaulted by another inmate on May 19. He later died in the hospital. Pickton’s crimes were widely known and his case received international attention.
He was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder in 2007 and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years. He was originally charged with the murders of 26 women.
The police investigation into Pickton began more than 22 years ago when they started searching his farm in Port Coquitlam. They found the remains or DNA of 33 women on the farm. Pickton once claimed to have killed 49 women.
During his trial, a witness testified that Pickton admitted to strangling his victims and feeding their remains to his pigs. Health officials even issued a warning to neighbors who might have bought pork from his farm, fearing it could contain human remains.
Cynthia Cardinal, whose sister was murdered by Pickton, said his death brings closure. She hopes it will help her and other families affected by his crimes to heal.
The Vancouver police faced criticism for not taking the cases seriously, as many of the missing women were sex workers or drug users.
Canada’s correctional service is investigating the assault on Pickton to determine if proper protocols were followed. The service acknowledged the impact of Pickton’s crimes on communities, especially Indigenous peoples, victims, and their families.
Pickton’s confirmed victims were Sereena Abotsway, Mona Wilson, Andrea Joesbury, Brenda Ann Wolfe, Georgina Papin, and Marnie Frey.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc expressed condolences to the families of Pickton’s victims, calling his crimes “heinous.” At Pickton’s sentencing, the judge said it was a rare case that deserved the maximum penalty.