Lawyers for man accused of killing 4 women to argue he’s not criminally responsible

Lawyers for a Winnipeg man accused of killing four women say they plan to argue he is not criminally responsible because he is mentally ill.

The lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki made the statement in court — before a jury is brought in next week to start hearing evidence.

The defence is seeking to have the high-profile case heard by a judge alone instead of the jury, arguing the objectivity of jurors could be affected by pretrial publicity.

The arguments in court are not under a publication ban.

1:36 Lawyers for man accused of killing Manitoba women argue publicity creates juror bias

Skibicki has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Rebecca Contois, Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran and an unidentified woman.

The partial remains of Contois were found in a garbage bin and at a city-run landfill in 2022. Police have said they believe the remains of Harris and Myran are at a different, privately owned landfill outside the city.

The location of the unidentified woman Indigenous leaders have named Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman, is unknown.

1:25 Winnipeg trial of man accused of killing 4 women starts with bid to toss jury