Winnipeg trial of man accused of killing four women starts with bid to toss jury

Lawyers for a Winnipeg man accused of killing four women are renewing calls for a judge to decide the case rather than a jury.

They say two years of publicity surrounding the high-profile case of Jeremy Skibicki might sway the jury panel that was picked last week.

Skibicki has pleaded not guilty to four counts of firstdegree murder in the deaths of Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran, Rebecca Contois and an unidentified woman Indigenous leaders have named Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe or Buffalo Woman.

Skibicki, dressed in a T-shirt, baggy pants and leg shackles, sat in court Monday as his lawyers argued the six-week-long trial should be heard in front of a judge alone.

It was the second time in six months they made that argument. Court of King’s Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal, who is also overseeing the trial, dismissed the initial motion.

Skibicki’s lawyers are now using the results of a poll conducted by Mainstreet Research in its renewed call for no jury.

The poll was commissioned by Legal Aid Manitoba, whose lawyers represent Skibicki, and was completed over a four-day period in February.

The head of the firm, Quito Maggi, testified the poll was to gauge people’s perceptions around Skibicki and the case.

“Polls are a snapshot in time … it’s to forecast potential outcomes,” Maggi told court.

The questions and results of the poll have not been released, but court heard some of the questions related to respondents’ understanding of “problematic DNA evidence,” whether race or gender played a role in the four women’s deaths, and whether respondents have a positive or negative opinion of the accused.

Participants were contacted by phone or asked to fill out a survey accessed through a link that was texted to them.

He told court callers read from a script and were not allowed to go outside of it to provide more context.

Crown prosecutor Renee Lagimodiere also told court some of the questions were unclear or vague.

The defence is expected to continue making arguments Tuesday.

DANIEL CRUMP, CP Donna Bartlett, grandmother of Marcedes Myran, walks to the Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba in Winnipeg, where the trial of the man accused of killing Myran and three other women began Monday.