Trial begins for Winnipeg serial killer who claims he was mentally ill

The trial of a man who admits he killed four women in Winnipeg is set to begin Wednesday, and a law professor says lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have multiple hurdles to clear for a defence of mental illness.

The trial of a man who admits he killed four women in Winnipeg is set to begin Wednesday, and a law professor says lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have multiple hurdles to clear for a defence of mental illness.

Skibicki, 37, faces four counts of first-degree murder.

His lawyers told court this week they will argue that he committed the killings but is not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.

Brandon Trask, an assistant professor of law at the University of Manitoba, said proving Skibicki had a mental disorder at the time of the killings is only the first step for the defence.

Once a mental illness has been established, Trask said, it comes down to whether the diagnosis made Skibicki incapable of knowing that the slayings were wrong.

"This is not the sort of a case where there's a single victim, a single moment in time. This is a situation involving four victims across presumably a lengthier period in time," Trask, who has no involvement with the case, said in an interview.

"This is going to be very challenging for the defence, very complex and very technical."