Canadian Serial Killer Robert Pickton Dead at 74 After Prison Assault

Robert Pickton — a serial killer who launched one of the largest murder investigations in Canada — has died. He was 74.

The Correctional Service Canada (CSC) announced on Friday, May 31, that Pickton, who was convicted of killing six women and feeding their bodies to pigs on his farm, was assaulted by another inmate at Port-Cartier Institution on May 19. He later died at the hospital from injuries sustained. 

The CSC said Pickton had been serving “an indeterminate sentence” at the prison, which began on Dec. 11, 2007, after he was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder.

The agency added that it is conducting an investigation and they “will examine all of the facts and circumstances surrounding the assault.”

The CSC also said that it has contacted Pickton’s family and “registered victims” and they are “mindful” that his case “had a devastating impact on communities in British Columbia and across the country, including Indigenous peoples, victims and their families.”

At least 65 women disappeared from the British Colombia province between 1978 and 2001, before Pickerton’s arrest, according to CNN. 

The bodies of 33 women — many of whom were indigenous — were found on Pickerton’s pig farm in the nearby city of Port Coquitlam, per the outlet. He later confessed to killing 49 women to an undercover policeman from his jail cell. 

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Following the news of Pickton’s death, Canada’s Premier David Eby released a statement stating that his thoughts went to the “families of the victims.”

“For some, the death of this notorious serial killer may bring closure and for others it will reopen old wounds. It is a difficult day for anyone who lost someone they loved because of his cruelty and heinous crimes,” Eby said. 

“Robert Pickton preyed on the most vulnerable people in our society. These women were cast aside as less than equal, and less than worthy because of who they were,” he continued. “We are committed to recognizing the dignity of every person to avoid something like this happening ever again.”

“Good riddance,” Eby concluded his statement.