News

 

 

Defence Rests in Pickton Trial

By JJ McCullough, Editor in Chief

Pigas key phase of the ongoing
trial of accused serial murderer Robert
“Willie” Pickton concluded last week,
with defense lawyers finishing off their
final arguments and cross-examinations.
For weeks, Pickton’s lawyers have been
hoping to show “reasonable doubt”
on the mass-murder allegations by
presenting evidence which calls into
question Pickton’s mental competence
to commit the murder of half-a-dozen
women. Many of the claims of the
prosecution were also called into
question during cross-examination,
including several pieces of physical
evidence.

According to police, Pickton made
many damning statements shortly after
his initial arrest in 2002, including
a now-infamous statement to an
undercover officer which he bragged
about wanting to kill “an even 50”
women.” In the preceding weeks the
defense has tried to cast doubt on the
validity of many of these statements
by attempting to portray Pickton as a
man of limited mental capacity who
was too slow to comprehend notions
of self-incrimination. His low IQ
scores, limited vocabulary, and socially

the New Westminster offices of the
Supreme Court of British Columbia, a
building which is adjacent to the New
West campus of Douglas College.

awkward manner were all likewise used
to construct an image of a man who
was simply too stupid to be the most
successful serial killer in Canadian
history.

Though the defense has never denied
that the remains of the six victims were
found on Pickton property, they have
greatly downplayed Pickton’s relevance
and instead called attention to the fact
that the vast Port Coquitlam property
was a popular hangout for many shady
characters, the actions of whom Pickton
was supposedly largely unaware of.

The reliability of many Crown
witnesses was also called into question,
with several changing their stories
upon questioning by defense lawyers.
Questions were also raised about
bloodstains found in Pickton’s motor
home, with defense expert witnesses
casting doubt as to whether or not the
stains provided sufficient evidence of a
murder.

The next key date on the trial
timeline will be November 13, when
closing arguments will conclude. The
jury is expected to begin deliberating
about a week after.

Though Pickton has been charged
with the murder of 26 different women,

only six of those deaths are the subject
of the current trial. A second trial for
the remaining 20 will be held sometime
later, on a date to be announced on
November 20.

The trial has been conducted at

 

 

Uncertainty Clouds
Gang Murders in Surrey

By Edward Murp

Eo recent shootings in Surrey that
left six dead, including two innocent
bystanders, may be just the beginning of
an escalating gang scene in the Lower
Mainland.

The scene was one of BC’s worst
mass murders. On Oct 19 police entered
suite 1505 at the Balmoral Apartment
complex in Surrey to find six dead,
along with 22-year-old Chris Mohan
and 55-year old Ed Schellenberg, the
two innocents determined to having
been caught in the wrong place at
the wrong time. Schellenberg was a
fireplace repairman doing his rounds
in the building, while Chris Mohan’s
presence is more unclear, but he does
have a clean criminal record. The other
four men, Eddie Sousakhone, Corey
Lal, Michael Lal and Ryan Bartolmeo,
were all between the age of 19 to 26.
They all have a history of criminal
offences, including resisting arrest,
illegal weapons possession, and drug
trafficking.

The building’s strata council had

4

Apparent

the current lack of information on the
topic. Either way, the significant matter
is that innocent people were lost to

decided weeks ago to talk to the tenants
of 1505 in response to the amount of
people seen coming in and out of the
suite, which had raised suspicions of
drug trafficking occurring. The motive
of the attack is still unknown after over
a week of investigation, despite the
efforts of Surrey police’s gang crime
unit. Over the last month there have
been three gang-related shootings
occurring in public places, killing
several gang related affiliates, yet most
of the perpetrators remain free. But until
now no innocent lives had been taken in
the name of gang violence.

As to who committed the mass
murder, many theories prevail as
the Police have not released any
information and are presently
outreaching to the community for
help. Some believe the killings were a
retaliation for a money loan as the four
men were in serious amounts of debt.
Another source reported that it was a
matter of betrayal; an associate of the
men killed got greedy and murdered his
way through six people for money and
free drugs, which would help explain

senseless crimes because they were
in the wrong place at the wrong time,
which could happen to any of us.