Trial heard Jeremy Skibicki killed 4 women because he was on a ‘mission from God’

WINNIPEG – Jeremy Skibicki killed four women and knew he wasn’t but did it because he was under the psychotic delusion that he was on a mission from God, a Winnipeg murder trial has heard.

Dr. Sohom Das, a forensic psychiatrist from the United Kingdom, testified that the murders came after years of Skibicki’s violent acts caused by mental illness.

“I believe the delusions and psychotic symptoms caused by schizophrenia directly motivated those murders,” Das, who is testifying for the defense, said Tuesday.

“He believed in his mind that he was on a mission from God. He felt compelled to commit the crimes.”

Skibicki, 37, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the 2022 slayings of four Indigenous Winnipeg women: Rebecca Contois, 24; Morgan Harris, 39; Marcedes Myran, 26 years old; and an unidentified woman whom an indigenous community called Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman.

The Crown has so far presented evidence from video surveillance, DNA, computer files and witnesses to argue that Skibicki had the mental capacity and awareness to plan and cover up the killings.

Prosecutors say the killings were racially motivated and Skibicki preyed on victims from homeless shelters.

The trial heard Skibicki assaulted the women, strangled or drowned them and dumped their bodies in bins in his neighbourhood. Myran and Contois were dismantled.

Skibicki’s lawyers admit he killed the women, but argue he should be found not criminally responsible due to mental illness.

Das said he interviewed Skibicki twice and studied the killer’s medical records, criminal record and social media posts.

Based on their interactions, Das told the court that Skibicki knew what he was doing at the time was legally wrong, but did not have the capacity to know it was morally wrong.

The court heard that Skibicki has a history of mental illness, including depression, borderline personality disorder and suicidal thoughts.

During cross-examination, prosecutor Chris Vanderhooft said no other psychiatrist had written a report diagnosing Skibicki with schizophrenia, even though the man had been hospitalized about 20 times.

“If there were frequent flyer points to go to the hospital, he would have gone on a big trip,” Vanderhooft said.

The closest diagnosis was that Skibicki has schizoid personality traits, which is a form of antisocial behavior.

The court heard Skibicki was first assessed in his early teens after his parents reported aggressive outbursts and an incident where he put his arms around a female cousin’s neck while sleepwalking.

Throughout his teenage years, Skibicki took antidepressants, but still struggled with violent episodes and narcissistic personality traits, Das said.

As an adult, while being treated for self-harm and overdoses, Skibicki told paramedics he suffered from depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and anxiety.

Das said one report detailed how Skibicki stabbed himself 20 times in the chest with a fork. He told medical staff that he had stopped taking his prescribed medication.

During an evaluation with Das, Skibicki said he believed he was on a “mission from God and God was in control of his actions” when he killed the four women.

The trial previously heard Skibicki’s police interrogation, when he said it was his choice to kill the women and that he was not led by God.

Das said it would not be unusual for Skibicki to offer conflicting claims because people experiencing psychosis are often not logical.

– Or make it up. That’s an alternative hypothesis, countered Vanderhooft.

The prosecutor also asked Das if he considered other motives for the murders, including Skibicki’s alleged desire to control women or if he had paraphilia, which is a form of abnormal sexual behavior or urges.

The trial also heard that Skibicki committed “vile sexual acts” on the women’s bodies before removing them.

Das testified that Skibicki told him he committed the acts because he believed he would “sanctify” their souls.

The psychiatrist also said he wondered if Skibicki was trying to fake a mental illness.

He determined that it did not appear that Skibicki was trying to persuade him and that Skibicki was indifferent to his psychotic beliefs.

The federal government has a hotline for those affected by the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls: 1-844-413-6649. The Hope for Wellness Helpline, with support in Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut, is also available to all Indigenous Canadians: 1-855-242-3310.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 4, 2024.

Brittany Hobson, Canadian Press