Additional details about the fatal prison assault on notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton have been released by the Correctional Service of Canada.
Pickton was 74 and was serving a life sentence for six counts of second-degree murder when he was attacked by another inmate at the maximum-security Port Cartier Institution in Quebec on May 19, 2024. He was air-lifted to hospital and died in the intensive care unit 12 days later.
On Friday, the Correctional Service of Canada released the findings of a Board of Investigation appointed to probe the circumstances of the fatal assault. Its findings were based on staff interviews, audio and video recordings from the prison, and a review of the institution’s policies.
At 5:16 p.m. Pickton was assaulted by another inmate in the common room while medication was being distributed on his unit, according to the report.
“When the assault started, the Correctional Officer (CO) assigned to the control post requested the assistance of other COs, who quickly intervened and were able to convince the aggressor to stop the assault,” it reads.
But two minutes later, Pickton was attacked again.
“The aggressor then grabbed a broomstick, broke the handle, and thrust it into the face of Mr. Pickton. Correctional Officers again intervened, managed to gain his compliance and handcuffed the aggressor, then escorted him to the Structured Intervention Unit,” the report continued.
No criminal charges have been laid in Pickton’s death, the Board of Investigation report said. Martin Charest is named as the inmate who “violently assaulted” Pickton in a separate report published on the same day by an independent observer.
The board was tasked with looking at the “facts and circumstances” leading up to Pickton’s death as well as “examining whether policies and protocols were followed, and identifying any recommendations or corrective measures needed.”
One of the issues identified was access to cleaning supplies, like brooms and mops, which could be used as weapons.
“Inmates had free access to cleaning items and that there were no functional locking cabinets that could be used to store the brooms or mops on the range, nor was there an inventory of these items at the time of the incident,” the report found.
The institution has since taken steps to remedy this issue, according to the report.
The independent observer, tasked with overseeing the CSC investigation, said the three-person panel did its work in a “meticulous, highly professional and impartial” manner. However, in a supplemental report the observer found the post-incident reports “lacked rigour.”
“This shortcoming did not hinder the investigation,” the report said.
‘Good riddance’
Pickton was found guilty of six counts of second-degree murder in 2007, following a lengthy trial.
“Mr. Pickton’s crimes received extensive media coverage across the country and around the world,” the report noted.
Pickton initially faced an additional 20 murder charges, which were stayed in 2010, leaving family members and community advocates outraged.
The remains and DNA of 33 women were found during a search of Pickton’s pig farm in Port Coquitlam, B.C., though the killer had bragged about murdering a total of 49.
All of Pickton’s victims were women, many of whom were vulnerable, Indigenous, and living on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
The six women Pickton was found guilty of murdering were Sereena Abotsway, Marnie Frey, Andrea Joesbury, Georgina Papin, Mona Wilson and Brenda Ann Wolfe.
A commission of inquiry found the Pickton investigation and the response to missing and murdered women from the Downtown Eastside were plagued by systemic failures.
“The missing and murdered women were forsaken by society at large and then again by the police. The pattern of predatory violence was clear and should have been met with a swift and severe response by accountable and professional institutions, but it was not,” the opening of the commission’s multi-volume final report read.
“The story of the missing and murdered women is a tragedy of epic proportions. It is simply unfathomable that these women were forsaken year after year. And yet they were.”
News of Pickton’s death provoked swift reaction from B.C. politicians and advocates, including Premier David Eby.
“Robert Pickton preyed on the most vulnerable people in our society,” Eby said when the serial killer’s death was confirmed.
“These women were cast aside as less than equal, and less than worthy because of who they were. We are committed to recognizing the dignity of every person to avoid something like this happening ever again. Good riddance.”
Families of women believed to have been murdered by Pickton said their quest for justice would not end with his death. They pledged to continue to push for the preservation of evidence collected from the pig farm, to continue pursuing civil remedies, and to keep fighting to bring any potential accomplices before the courts.
With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Todd Coyne
