Pickton faces seven more murder charges

By JANE ARMSTRONG From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

New Westminster, B.C. — The case against Robert William Pickton -- already the biggest homicide probe in Canadian history -- has mushroomed again as prosecutors announced he will face seven more charges of first-degree murder. But it's unlikely Mr. Pickton will face a jury for at least another year as prosecutors and defence lawyers grapple with the magnitude and complexity of the ever-growing case. Mr. Pickton now faces 22 counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of scores of Vancouver street women. At a hearing yesterday in suburban New Westminster, scheduled to set a trial date, Crown attorney Mike Petrie instead rose to say prosecutors planned to add seven more charges against the former pig farmer. A few moments later, defence lawyer Peter Ritchie told Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm he needs more time to wade through reams of evidence that was extracted from Mr. Pickton's Port Coquitlam farm during a 21-month search. That search is over, Mr. Ritchie said, but now there's a long queue at the RCMP forensic lab to analyze the evidence. Outside the courtroom, Mr. Ritchie said he won't be ready to set a trial date until he has an understanding of the "full picture" of the Crown's case against his client. Judge Dohm agreed to delay the case for another six months, but warned that the court is ready to start the murder trial. He also indicated that he won't tolerate the sort of delays that have characterized "the other" high-profile B.C. murder trial. (The judge didn't mention it by name, but progress in the Air-India case has been marked by fits and starts). "There will be no lineups waiting for a trial or a judge," Judge Dohm said. "When this trial starts, it will continue until it ends." The news of more murder charges was not a surprise. At the end of Mr. Pickton's preliminary hearing, the presiding judge ordered the 53-year-old to stand trial on 15 murder counts. But he added that if the hearing had started one month later, he could have ruled that Mr. Pickton should stand trial on 22 counts. As well, many family members had already been informed that their daughters' remains had been found at Mr. Pickton's farm. Still, they were relieved yesterday to hear official word that more charges are to be laid. Rick Frey, whose daughter, Marnie, disappeared in August of 1997, was telephoned by court services and then by Mr. Petrie himself. Ms. Frey's name was on the list of 61 women who have vanished from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside since the late 1980s. A drug addict who lived on skid row, she fit the profile of the other missing women. Mr. Frey, a fisherman from Campbell River on Vancouver Island, said he's glad to hear that Mr. Pickton will stand trial in connection with his daughter's death. But he's dreading hearing the grisly details. "Now it begins," Mr. Frey said. "It will be hard. Her name will be brought up. The evidence will be heard." In Calgary, Marilyn Kraft, whose daughter, Cindy Feliks, disappeared in 1997, was also telephoned. "Oh, boy. Am I ever relieved," said Ms. Kraft, who travelled to Port Coquitlam last spring to hear portions of the preliminary hearing. Exactly when Mr. Pickton will face a jury remains uncertain. In court, Mr. Petrie suggested a date of September in 2004, but outside court, Mr. Ritchie said that might be optimistic. "All the exhibits that were seized from the property still have to be analyzed," the defence lawyer said. "That's going to take a number of months to do." Even though Mr. Pickton was ordered to stand trial on 15 murder charges, the Crown is permitted, under the Criminal Code, to lay more if evidence concerning those cases was led at a preliminary hearing. The other option is for the Crown to ask the B.C. Attorney-General to indict Mr. Pickton directly. Regardless, all the murder charges will be dealt with at one trial.

Mr. Pickton has been in custody since February of 2002. The cost of the murder probe has topped $25-million.

Pickton charged with four more murders in B.C. missing women case Last Updated Wed Oct 2 17:58:55 2002 VANCOUVER-- A Vancouver-area pig farmer has been charged with an additional four counts of murder in the disappearance of women from Vancouver's seedy downtown eastside. Robert William Pickton, 52, is charged in the deaths of: Heather Chinnock, who was 30 when she was last seen in April 2001 Tanya Holyk, 23 when she was last seen in October 1996 Sherry Irving, 24 when she disappeared some time in 1997 Inga Hall, 46 when she was last seen in February 1998 Pickton already faced 11 counts of first-degree murder. Robert Pickton Vancouver police and RCMP say 63 women are listed in the missing women case. They have said another five cases fit the profile and may be added to the list. Pickton is now charged with four more murders than the eleven admitted to by Canada's most notorious serial killer, Clifford Olsen. Wiretaps revealed CBC News also learned five of Pickton's friends and relatives were subjected to wiretaps under order of the attorney general's office. They all received letters from the attorney general's office in mid-September revealing the wiretaps. That, says criminal lawyer Larry Myers, means police are no longer listening to their conversations. "Now that the letters have been disclosed, it means they've finished their wiretap investigation, so I would say at this point, all the wiretap is done," said Myers. U.S. media to defy publication ban The investigation has generated much interest and publicity. Families of the victims, many of whom were drug addicts and prostitutes, have accused police of not investigating the disappearances promptly, costing more women their lives. U.S. networks say they're planning to ignore the publication ban on evidence and cover the case. Pickton's preliminary hearing starts in a month. The Crown says it's concerned the coverage could damage the case against Pickton and plans to ask the judge to limit U.S. coverage. Attorney General Geoff Plant said Wednesday the Crown can still choose to avoid a preliminary hearing and file a direct indictment against Pickton