Serial killer, Robert Willie Pickton (74), who fed his female victims to pigs, has died after being assaulted in prison. Pickton was one of Canada's notorious serial killers and he was charged with the murders of 26 women.
In a statement on Friday, the Correctional Service of Canada said that Pickton died in hospital following the injuries he suffered in the May 19 assault involving another inmate. He was an inmate of Port-Cartier Institution in the province of Quebec.
A 51-year-old inmate was in custody for the assault on Pickton, said a police spokesman in May.
Pickton was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2007. He went on a crime spree in the 1990s and early 2000s near Vancouver. Several women in the area were reported missing which paved the way for a years-long investigation leading to Pickton's farm in the Vancouver suburb of Port Coquitlam.
DNA of 33 women were found on Pickton's farm in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. Reportedly, Pickton had told an undercover police official that he had killed 49 women. It was also alleged that the Vancouver police were not taking the missings seriously as most of them were sex workers or drug users.
During the trial, witnesses' accounts of Pickton's crimes shocked the entire courtroom. The prosecution witness had revealed how Pickton strangled his victims and fed their remains to his pigs.
"It's karma," said Cynthia Cardinal, sister of Georgina Papin murdered by Pickton. She said was "overwhelmed" with happiness when she received a text message regarding the attack.
An investigation into the Pickton attack was launched by Canada's correctional service. “The investigation will examine all of the facts and circumstances surrounding the assault, including whether policies and protocols were followed,” the service said in the statement.
“We are mindful that this offender’s case has had a devastating impact on communities in British Columbia and across the country, including Indigenous peoples, victims and their families. Our thoughts are with them,” the statement said.
(With PTI inputs)
