Family of now-identified victim of Winnipeg serial killer gets special hearing to relay impact of killing
Man convicted of killing 4 First Nations women won’t be at Aug. 15 hearing, but his counsel will be
Almost a year after a man convicted of murdering four First Nations women in Winnipeg was sentenced, the family of one of those victims — whose identity wasn't confirmed until recently — will get the chance to tell the court how her death affected them, in circumstances described as "exceptional," a court news release says.
Ashlee Shingoose was identified in March as the lone unknown victim in the case, who had until then been known only as Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, or Buffalo Woman.
The 30-year-old was the first of the four women killed, and is believed to have died in March 2022. She was from St. Theresa Point Anisininew Nation.
Jeremy Skibicki was also convicted of first-degree murder in the 2022 deaths of Morgan Harris, 39, and Marcedes Myran, 26 — both originally from Long Plain First Nation — and Rebecca Contois, 24, a member of O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi First Nation.
While the other women's families and communities had the opportunity to read impact statements when Skibicki was sentenced in August 2024, Shingoose's identity was at that time still unknown.
That's why, at the request of Crown prosecutors, Manitoba's Court of King's Bench has agreed to hold a hearing on Aug. 15 at 10 a.m. to hear their impact statements.
Chief Justice Glenn Joyal, who oversaw Skibicki's trial and sentencing, will preside over next week's hearing, the court said in a Thursday news release. It called the special hearing "appropriate and necessary in these exceptional circumstances."
"The court has had to reflect on both the legal parameters and institutional duties and opportunities that this situation presents for the purpose of providing a fair process that both enhances public confidence and promotes institutional reconciliation."
With the trial finished, it's understood "nothing will or should impact the legal jeopardy of Mr. Skibicki" — but it also means the court has no jurisdiction to order or insist Skibicki or his lawyers be at the hearing.
While they've all been notified, the court said it's been advised that Skibicki won't be present, but his counsel will be.
"It should also be understood that this proceeding is consistent with the court's attempt to provide Ms Shingoose's family with the same opportunity as was provided to the families of Mr. Skibicki's other victims, an opportunity to acknowledge the dignity of the victim and make real the suffering of, and impact on, the victim's family," the news release said.
"It is an opportunity that would have been afforded them had Ms Shingoose been identified prior to the sentencing of Mr. Skibicki for her murder, a sentencing which is now complete."
The court said given the "extraordinarily unique circumstances" in the case, Joyal will provide further comment on the nature of the hearing when court convenes that day.
Skibicki was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years, after a weeks-long trial last year that heard he targeted vulnerable First Nations women at homeless shelters before killing them and disposing of their remains.
He unexpectedly confessed to killing the four women during a police interview in May 2022, after Contois's partial remains were found.
Skibicki initially gave police the name of who he believed was his first victim, but that woman was found alive, leaving the question of the victim's true identity to linger.
Police said they were later able to confirm Shingoose's identity through DNA testing and Skibicki identifying her in a photo.
A statement attributed to Shingoose's family released by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs later Thursday said they were requesting privacy as they prepare for the upcoming hearing, which the statement described as "an opportunity that should have been granted long ago" that will be "an emotional and deeply personal moment for our family."
The family said they're grateful Shingoose's identity has now been formally recognized, "allowing her voice and our pain as a family to be acknowledged in a meaningful way."
They also hope the hearing "not only brings some measure of peace to our family but also affirms the dignity and humanity of Ashlee, who was a beloved daughter, relative, and community member of the St. Theresa Point Anisininew Nation," the statement said.
Search for remains
While remains belonging to the three other victims have since been found, Shingoose's remains are still believed to be at Winnipeg's Brady Road landfill.
Police previously said investigators believe her body was placed in a garbage bin behind a business on Henderson Highway, in Winnipeg's North Kildonan area, before it was taken to the Brady landfill in March 2022.
Contois's partial remains were found in May 2022 in a garbage bin near Skibicki's North Kildonan apartment, and more were found the following month at the Brady landfill.
WATCH | As one Manitoba landfill search for women's remains ends, another is set to begin:
Meanwhile, it took until February of this year for some of Harris and Myran's remains to be found during a search of the Winnipeg-area Prairie Green landfill. That search wrapped up last month, after starting in December.
With the Prairie Green search concluded, specialized equipment and personnel will move to the Brady landfill to search for Shingoose's remains, the province said last month.
Shingoose's father, Albert Shingoose, recently told CBC News he's trying to stay strong as the process gets underway to start searching for his daughter.
But he said he's also hoping to push the province to search the Brady landfill for the remains of Tanya Nepinak, whose remains were believed to have been taken there after she went missing at age 31 more than a decade ago.
A search for Nepinak's remains was launched in October 2012, but it was cancelled after six days with no evidence located. A murder charge laid in connection to her death against Shawn Lamb was stayed by the Crown for lack of evidence.
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