A Manitoba judge has rejected a defense motion to dismiss one of four first-degree murder charges against Jeremy Skibicki, 37, accused of the killings of four Indigenous women in Winnipeg. The trial is set to start in two weeks. Skibicki, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, is alleged to have murdered Marcedes Myran, 26; Morgan Harris, 39; Rebecca Contois, 24; and a fourth woman, known as Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe or Buffalo Woman, believed by police to be Indigenous and in her mid-20s.
The defense sought to quash the charge related to Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, arguing the absence of an identified victim or recovered body rendered the charge legally invalid. Defense lawyer Brittney Hoyt emphasized the lack of identifiable victim details during the 40-minute hearing before Chief Justice Glenn Joyal at the Court of King’s Bench. Hoyt argued this deficiency should lead to the charge’s dismissal.
During the hearing, Crown attorney Renee Lagimodiere countered that the identity of the victim is not necessary for proving a violent crime occurred, defending the sufficiency of the charge’s details against the defense’s motion.
Justice Joyal dismissed the motion, stating the charge was sufficiently detailed to inform Skibicki of the accusations against him, thereby allowing the trial to proceed as planned. Skibicki remains in custody, with his trial slated to begin on April 29.
The case has drawn significant attention, particularly after police found partial remains of Rebecca Contois at the Brady landfill in June 2022. Authorities believe the remains of Myran and Harris might be in another landfill, though the location of Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe’s remains is still unknown. The federal and provincial governments have recently allocated $40 million combined to fund a search of the Prairie Green landfill, highlighting the ongoing efforts to address this tragic case.
