Lawyers for alleged Winnipeg serial killer point to opinion poll in bid to get jury tossed

The lawyers of an alleged serial killer in Winnipeg are questioning whether pre-trial publicity in the high-profile case may have influenced the jury’s decision-making ability, after a public poll commissioned by the defence found 81 per cent of respondents believe the accused is guilty.

The lawyers of an alleged serial killer in Winnipeg are questioning whether pre-trial publicity in the high-profile case may have influenced the jury’s decision-making ability, after a public poll commissioned by the defence found 81 per cent of respondents believe the accused is guilty.

Jeremy Skibicki is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of four Indigenous women: Rebecca Contois, Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran, and a fourth unidentified woman who Indigenous have given the name Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe or Buffalo Woman.

He has pleaded not guilty.

His defence lawyers’ bid to toss the jury in the trial continued Tuesday in Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench.

Skibicki’s lawyers launched a constitutional question over the partiality of the jury, seeking to have the case heard by judge-alone and not a jury.

The argument hinges on a public opinion poll commissioned by Legal Aid Manitoba, which is representing Skibicki in the case. The poll, conducted by Mainstreet Research in February, posed questions to 906 Manitobans, all of whom were eligible for a jury.

The poll gathered thoughts on Skibicki and what respondents think of various potential defences in the case – such as a defence that he is not criminally responsible due to mental disorder.