International

Court pronounces Canadian serial killer guilty of killing four women

Published

2 years ago

July 12, 2024

Court pronounces Canadian serial killer guilty of killing four women

Tearful cheers erupted in a packed Canadian courtroom on Thursday as a judge found a serial killer guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of four indigenous women.

But in the court gallery, Jeremy Contois’ reaction was reserved.

His younger sister, Rebecca, was one of the women killed in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba two years ago.

“I feel a little sense of relief,” Mr Contois said, but will not get full closure until the killer, Jeremy Skibicki, is formally sentenced.

In his oral verdict, Manitoba Court of King’s Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal dismissed the argument by the defence at trial that the accused was not criminally responsible for the murders.

Lawyers for Skibicki, 37, said he was suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the killings.

Prosecutors argued that Skibicki deliberately killed Ms Contois and three other women in 2022 in crimes that were calculated and racially motivated.

Warning: This story contains details readers may find distressing.

The murders and the subsequent weeks-long trial sent shockwaves through Canada’s indigenous community, which has long grappled with cases of violence against their women.

Wearing a grey T-shirt and pants, Skibicki did not react as Judge Joyal read aloud the summary of his judgment.

One of Ms Contois’ family members held up a large photo of Rebecca in his direction as he left the courtroom.

“Why did I lift up her photo? Because we, as First Nations people, are not statistics,” Krista Fox said afterwards.

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“Every single one of us has a name, and a family that misses us dearly.”

Skibicki’s victims are Morgan Harris, 39, Marcedes Myran, 26 and Ms Contois, who was 24. The fourth woman has yet to be identified, and has been given the name Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, meaning Buffalo Woman, by indigenous elders.

Throughout the trial, a buffalo head sat on a red cloth on a table near the prosecutors in tribute to the still unidentified victim.

In his verdict, Judge Joyal said the accused failed to demonstrate he was not criminally responsible for the murders, dismissing the testimony of a British psychiatrist, Dr Sohom Das, who said Skibicki was motivated by delusions when he committed the murders.

The judge added that the “mercilessly graphic” facts of the case “are largely uncontested”, given that the accused had admitted to the murders in police interviews and in court prior to the trial.

Skibicki had pleaded not guilty due to a mental disorder.

The 100-person courtroom was packed full with the four women’s families and friends for the verdict.

Judge Joyal said the case has had an “undeniable and profound impact on the entire Manitoba community, indigenous and non-indigenous”.

With Skibicki facing life behind bars, the focus is now shifting to finding the remains of two of his victims, Ms Myran and Ms Harris, which are believed to be in a Winnipeg landfill.

A formal search has been set for this autumn, after months of pressure from their families.

‘Intentional and purposeful’ murders

According to court documents, Skibicki killed the women between March and May of 2022, with Ms Contois believed to be the final victim.

He met at least two at local homeless shelters in Winnipeg, a city of 820,000 in the prairie province.

Judge Joyal agreed with prosecutors that he deliberately targeted and exploited “vulnerable” women.

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Over the course of the trial, the court heard that Skibicki had assaulted the women, strangled or drowned them and then committed sex acts on them before dismembering their bodies and disposing of them in garbage bins.

The killings went undetected for months, until a man looking for scrap metal in a bin outside Skibicki’s apartment found partial human remains in May 2022 and called police.

“She’s obviously been murdered,” the man said in the 911 call, which was played in court.

Police were able to identify the remains as those of Ms Contois.

More of her remains were discovered at a city-run landfill the following month.

In police interviews shortly after his arrest, Skibicki surprised officers by admitting to killing Ms Contois as well as three others.

At that point, police had no knowledge of the other deaths.

Speaking outside court, Ms Fox said she believes that it was only because Ms Contois’ remains were found that the other families were able to get justice.

Skibicki’s lawyers tried to argue that he was not aware of the severity of his actions due to delusions driven by schizophrenia. They argued he was hearing voices that told him to commit the crimes as part of a mission from god.

Prosecutors argued that Skibicki was fully aware of his actions, saying they were “intentional, purposeful and racially motivated”.

They demonstrated this through a mix of DNA forensic evidence, surveillance footage showing Skibicki with the women in their final days, as well as testimony from his ex-wife, who detailed a history of physical abuse.

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Had Skibicki been found not criminally responsible for the four murders, it would have been a relative rarity in Canadian law.

According to data from Canada’s statistics agency and reported by the Globe and Mail newspaper, between 2000 and 2022, of 8,883,749 criminal cases prosecuted across the country, only 5,178 – or 0.06% – had such verdicts.

The case unearthed deep wounds for Canada’s indigenous community, which has long grappled with a high number of cases of their women going missing or being murdered.

According to an investigation by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Winnipeg – a city near numerous indigenous communities – had the highest number of missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada between 2018 and 2022.

Across Canada, indigenous women are 12 times more likely to be murdered or go missing than other women, according to a 2019 inquiry.

Some indigenous women in the city remain missing, sparking fears from family members that Skibicki had more victims.

The Crown, however, said they do not believe he murdered more women.

Even with the relief of a guilty verdict, Mr Contois, Rebecca’s brother, said he still wonders why his sister – who is also a mother to a young daughter – was so brutally murdered.

“Why did he have to do it?” he said. “I wish I knew that.”

International

German doctor sentenced to life in prison for murdering 15 patients

Published

14 hours ago

July 8, 2026

Trends Admin

German doctor sentenced to life in prison for murdering 15 patients

A German palliative care doctor has been sentenced to life imprisonment after a court in Berlin found him guilty of murdering 15 patients over a three-year period, in a case prosecutors say could become one of the largest serial murder investigations involving a medical professional in Germany.

The 41-year-old physician, identified only as Johannes M. under Germany’s privacy laws, was convicted on Wednesday of killing 12 women and three men between September 2021 and July 2024 while working for a home-based palliative care service in the German capital.

The Berlin Regional Court heard that the victims, aged between 25 and 94, were all seriously ill but were not considered to be at imminent risk of death. Most of them were receiving palliative care in their homes when the killings occurred.

According to prosecutors, Johannes M. deliberately administered a lethal combination of an anaesthetic and a muscle relaxant without the knowledge or consent of the patients. The drugs caused respiratory paralysis, leading to their deaths within minutes.

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Prosecutors argued that the doctor acted out of what they described as a “lust for murder” rather than compassion or any legitimate medical purpose. They also accused him of setting fire to several victims’ homes in an attempt to destroy evidence and conceal the crimes.

Investigators linked at least five suspected arson incidents to the murders, saying the fires were intended to make the deaths appear accidental.

One of the most shocking incidents presented during the trial occurred in July 2024, shortly before the doctor’s arrest. Prosecutors alleged that Johannes M. killed two patients on the same day.

According to the prosecution, he first fatally injected a 75-year-old man during a home visit in central Berlin before travelling to another district, where he allegedly killed a 76-year-old woman. Investigators said he later attempted to set fire to the woman’s apartment, but the blaze failed to destroy crucial evidence.

For much of the year-long trial, the doctor declined to testify. However, during proceedings last month, he admitted responsibility for killing 12 of the victims, telling the court that he believed he was relieving them of pain and suffering.

“Throughout it all, I thought this was the best thing for everyone,” he said, before expressing remorse and apologising to the families of the victims.

Despite the admission, prosecutors maintained that the killings were neither acts of mercy nor medically justified, insisting the victims had not consented to ending their lives and that many still had plans for the future.

In delivering its judgment, the Berlin Regional Court imposed Germany’s maximum sentence for murder and made a finding of “particularly severe guilt,” a legal classification that makes early release after the standard 15-year period highly unlikely.

The court also ordered preventive detention, allowing authorities to continue holding the doctor after completion of his prison sentence if he is still considered a danger to society. In addition, he was permanently banned from practising medicine.

Authorities believe the 15 confirmed murders may represent only a fraction of the doctor’s alleged crimes.

Investigators initially opened the case after becoming suspicious about four patient deaths before widening the inquiry. A special investigative team has since reviewed 395 patient files, exhumed several bodies and identified dozens of additional suspicious cases.

Prosecutors are now investigating 76 more deaths linked to the doctor, raising the possibility of further criminal charges if sufficient evidence is established.

If additional allegations are proven, the case could become one of the most extensive serial murder investigations in Germany’s modern history.

The trial featured emotional testimony from relatives of several victims, many of whom rejected the doctor’s claim that he was acting out of compassion.

The mother of the youngest victim, a 25-year-old woman, tearfully told the court that her daughter “never said she didn’t want to live anymore.”

Similarly, the son of a 72-year-old woman said his mother had been planning a holiday with her sister before her death, insisting she had every intention of continuing her life.

Legal experts say the verdict has renewed debate in Germany over patient safety, oversight of palliative care services and the safeguards required to protect vulnerable patients receiving treatment in their homes.

As investigations continue, prosecutors say Johannes M. has indicated a willingness to cooperate in future proceedings, while authorities remain focused on determining whether additional patients fell victim to the same pattern of crimes.

German doctor sentenced to life in prison for murdering 15 patients

International

US launches fresh strikes on Iran after tanker attacks in Strait of Hormuz

Published

1 day ago

July 8, 2026

Trends Admin

US launches fresh strikes on Iran after tanker attacks in Strait of Hormuz

The United States has launched a fresh wave of military strikes against Iran, targeting more than 80 military sites after three commercial oil tankers were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, dramatically escalating tensions in the Gulf and raising fresh concerns over global energy supplies.

The strikes, announced by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Tuesday, targeted over 80 Iranian military assets, including missile launch sites, command-and-control centres, radar installations, air defence systems, drone launch facilities and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fast attack boats operating in the strategic waterway.

According to CENTCOM, the operation was designed to “impose heavy costs” on Iran for what Washington described as attacks on commercial vessels crewed by innocent civilians in international waters.

The military action followed separate attacks on three oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes through which nearly one-fifth of global oil supplies pass.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed that one tanker caught fire after an unidentified projectile struck its engine room, while two other vessels sustained damage in separate incidents but were able to continue their voyages.

Although Iran has not officially admitted responsibility for the attacks, the United States, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have accused Tehran of orchestrating the assaults.

Qatar said one of its vessels, Al-Rekayyat, was deliberately targeted while sailing near the Strait of Hormuz, while Saudi Arabia said its crude oil tanker, Wadyan, was also struck during transit.

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Iran rejected the allegations, insisting that commercial vessels failing to coordinate with Iranian maritime authorities or tampering with navigation systems risked accidents and collisions.

Hours after the US operation, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced retaliatory missile and drone strikes on what it described as 85 US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.

The IRGC claimed the attacks targeted the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. Independent verification of the extent of the reported attacks had not been immediately available.

Iranian state media also reported explosions in Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas, Sirik, and other southern locations, saying several civilians were injured by flying debris following the US bombardment.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister described the US military action as a clear violation of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed last month, warning that Tehran would take “decisive measures” to defend its sovereignty.

The country’s Foreign Ministry also condemned Washington’s decision to revoke a temporary waiver that had allowed limited Iranian oil exports under the agreement.

According to Iranian officials, the move demonstrates the “bad faith, inconsistency and unreliability” of the US government and effectively undermines diplomatic efforts.

Before launching the strikes, the US Treasury revoked the waiver that had temporarily eased oil sanctions on Iran.

The decision restores restrictions on Iranian crude exports and significantly increases economic pressure on Tehran.

US President Donald Trump warned that Washington was prepared to carry out further military operations if Iran continued attacking commercial shipping or violated the ceasefire framework reached last month.

Despite the latest escalation, US officials said diplomatic negotiations remain open and that Washington continues to pursue a long-term agreement with Tehran.

The renewed confrontation has heightened fears of prolonged instability in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime corridor linking the Persian Gulf with global markets.

Any sustained disruption to shipping through the waterway could significantly affect global energy supplies and drive up international oil prices.

Oil markets reacted immediately to the latest developments, with crude prices climbing as investors weighed the risk of further attacks and possible disruptions to one of the world’s most important oil transit routes.

The latest exchange of military action represents one of the most serious confrontations between the United States and Iran since the two countries signed a 14-point memorandum aimed at extending a ceasefire and reducing hostilities across the region.

While both sides continue to insist that diplomatic channels remain open, the latest escalation has cast fresh doubt over the future of the agreement and renewed fears of a wider regional conflict.

US launches fresh strikes on Iran after tanker attacks in Strait of Hormuz

International

Drone attack hits tanker in Strait of Hormuz

Published

2 days ago

July 7, 2026

Trends Admin

Iran Shuts Strait of Hormuz, Threatens to Target All Ships After New US Strikes

Drone attack hits tanker in Strait of Hormuz

A commercial tanker was reportedly hit in a drone attack while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, sparking fresh concerns over security in one of the world’s most strategic shipping lanes.

According to initial reports, the vessel allegedly came under attack after passing through the waterway without obtaining the required permission from Iranian authorities. However, the claim has not been independently verified.

Details of the incident, including the identity of the tanker, the extent of the damage and whether there were casualties among the crew, were not immediately available as of the time of filing this report.

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No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, while authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran and Oman, is a critical global maritime corridor through which a substantial share of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas exports is transported.

The latest incident is expected to heighten concerns among global shipping operators and energy markets, with analysts warning that any disruption along the route could have significant implications for international trade and oil prices.

Authorities are expected to launch an investigation as more information emerges.