Family of a First Nations woman who died at the hands of a Winnipeg serial killer will have the chance to give victim impact statements in court a year after his conviction.
Manitoba Court of King’s Bench says it has agreed to a special hearing on Aug. 15, so victim and community impact statements can be submitted about Ashlee Shingoose.
Shingoose was one of four First Nations women killed by Jeremy Skibicki in 2022.
He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison but, at the time of his trial, Shingoose had yet to be identified and was referred to in court only as Buffalo Woman.
Police announced earlier this year that new information after the trial led them to identify the unknown victim as Shingoose.
The court says the hearing is appropriate and necessary in order to give the woman’s family the same opportunity as relatives of the other victims.