Canadian pig farmer found guilty of 6 murders

Necro

Story Highlights

• Robert Pickton found guilty Sunday of six counts of second-degree murder
• Which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison
• The defense acknowledged victims' remains were found on Pickton's farm
• Defense denied Pickton is responsible for their deaths

A sketch shows accused serial killer Robert Pickton, left, in court in New Westminster, British Columbia, last month.





NEW WESTMINSTER, British Columbia (AP) -- A pig farmer accused of being Canada's worst serial killer was found guilty Sunday of six counts of second-degree murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

The verdict ended the trial of Robert 'Willie' Pickton on the first six of 26 murder charges in the deaths of women, most of them prostitutes and drug addicts from a seedy Vancouver neighborhood.

Pickton, 58, was tried for the killings 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.

The jury of seven men and five women began its deliberations Friday night. 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.

Pickton listened to the verdict with his head bowed. He will receive a mandatory sentence of life in prison and will not be eligible for parole for at least 10 years. The jury was deliberating Sunday whether to extend that 10-year period.

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

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

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.

Prosecution witness Andrew Bellwood had testified that Pickton told him how he strangled his alleged victims and fed their remains to his pigs.

barfly467

Best way to hide the bodies

The Half Boy

Somebodie's been watching Snatch! Shame on you, Pig Farmer!!!

Tomorrow's Just An Excuse Away,
So I Pull My Collar Up And Face The Cold, On My Own.
The Earth Laughs Beneath My Heavy Feet,
At The Blasphemy In My Old Jangly Walk.

barfly467

OR Hannibel

Balla

Video Games Moderator

.... a pig farmer..... you serious?????

Dakstang

WC's Resident Redneck

This sounds like something straight out of a movie.

Freak

It'll definitely be made into a movie, and there's already a few books being written about it. One just came out.

This is obviously huge news in Canada, but it's even bigger out here on the coast where Chewy and I live, since Pickton's farm is pretty close to here. I actually know someone who's very close to one of the victim's families.