Canadian serial killer Robert Pickton succumbed to his injuries in the hospital following a May 19 attack by another inmate.
Canadian serial killer Robert Pickton, known for luring female victims to his pig farm near Vancouver in the late 1990s and early 2000s, has died after being assaulted in prison.
Pickton, 74, succumbed to his injuries in the hospital following a May 19 attack by another inmate, according to a statement from the Correctional Service of Canada on Friday.
Also Read:- Chad Daybell Sentenced to Death for Murders of Wife and Two Children
Pickton was incarcerated at Port-Cartier Institution in Quebec. Police spokesman Hugues Beaulieu reported earlier this month that a 51-year-old inmate was in custody for the assault on Pickton.
Convicted in 2007 of six counts of second-degree murder, Pickton was sentenced to life in prison with a 25-year parole ineligibility period. He had been charged with the murders of 26 women. The investigation into Pickton’s crimes began over 22 years ago when police started searching his farm in Port Coquitlam, a suburb of Vancouver, following the disappearances of numerous women from Vancouver’s marginalized communities.
The remains or DNA of 33 women were discovered on Pickton’s farm. Pickton once boasted to an undercover police officer that he had killed 49 women. During his trial, a prosecution witness testified that Pickton described how he strangled his victims and fed their remains to his pigs. Health officials even issued a tainted meat advisory to neighbors who had purchased pork from Pickton’s farm, fearing it might contain human remains.
Cynthia Cardinal, whose sister Georgina Papin was one of Pickton’s victims, expressed relief at his death, saying it would help her and other families to move on. “This is gonna bring healing for, I won’t say all families, I’ll just say most of the families,” she stated. “I’m like — wow, finally. I can actually move on and heal and I can put this behind me.”
Vancouver police faced criticism for their initial handling of the missing persons cases, largely because many of the victims were sex workers or drug users.
Also Read:- Marian Robinson, Mother of Michelle Obama, Passes Away at 86
The Correctional Service of Canada announced an investigation into the assault on Pickton to ensure all protocols were followed. They acknowledged the profound impact of Pickton’s crimes on communities across Canada, particularly Indigenous peoples, victims, and their families.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc offered his condolences to the victims’ families, stating, “Earlier today, I was made aware of the death of an inmate at Port-Cartier Institution. At this time, my thoughts are with the families of the victims of this individual’s heinous crimes.”
At the time of Pickton’s sentencing, British Columbia Supreme Court Justice James Williams deemed the case one that warranted the maximum period of parole ineligibility.