Accused serial killer’s lawyer concerned about disclosure

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This article was published 14/12/2022 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A pretrial hearing set next month for accused serial killer Jeremy Skibicki has been cancelled after his lawyers raised concerns about the volume of disclosure in the case.

Pretrial hearings are required to be held within 45 days of an indictment being filed.

Court of King’s Bench rules that govern pretrial hearings require pretrial briefs to state each party’s position on relevant issues, said defence lawyer Leonard Tailleur.

Skibicki has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the killings of Rebecca Contois, Marcedes Myran, Morgan Harris and a fourth as yet unidentified woman who is being referred to as Buffalo Woman.

Tailleur said he and his co-counsel have received 10 terabytes, or more than 6,000 pages of disclosure in the case, a volume of evidence impossible to review in the 45 days allotted.

“This is not your regular case,” Tailleur said.

At a hearing Thursday, King’s Bench Justice James Edmond agreed to scrap the Jan. 13 pretrial date and order that a case management judge be appointed to the case.

A case management judge will oversee issues of disclosure, set timelines, and manage other matters in advance of a trial.

Nearly a dozen victim family members attended the hearing, some of them wearing T-shirts picturing Contois and Myran.

Skibicki appeared in the prisoner’s box dressed in grey sweats and a T-shirt. He maintained a stern demeanour as he was led out of court at the end of the hearing.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca