National – JULY 21 UPDATE Canadian Press – A federal inmate has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of serial killer Robert Pickton last year.
Martin Charest, 52, was charged on July 3 for allegedly attacking Pickton at Quebec’s Port-Cartier maximum security prison.
Pickton died in hospital on May 31, 2024, 12 days after he was assaulted, but no charges were laid at the time.
An investigation report released earlier this month revealed Pickton was assaulted by a fellow inmate who broke a broom handle and thrust it into his face, and a separate report by an independent observer named Charest as the suspect.
JULY 4 STORY – NOTE – The “Homicide Canada” website is not a single, standalone website operated by one entity. Instead, information about homicide in Canada is collected and disseminated by various organizations, primarily Statistics Canada and the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics. These organizations gather data from police forces across the country and publish reports and statistics on homicide rates, trends, and characteristics
After the in-custody death of Robert Pickton earlier May 31st 2024, following an assault involving another inmate at Port-Cartier Institution on May 19, 2024. The Correctional Service of Canada has released the findings of its internal investigation.
The report explores the events surrounding the assault, whether proper procedures were followed, and what can be done to prevent similar incidents in the future.
No charges have been laid.
At the time of the incident, Robert Pickton was 74 years old and serving a life sentence for six counts of second-degree murder. He had been in maximum-security custody at Port-Cartier Institution in Quebec since 2018.
Robert William Pickton (1949–2024), known as the Pig Farmer Killer, was a Canadian serial killer and pig farmer who operated in British Columbia. He left school and a butcher apprenticeship to run his family’s pig farm, where he later committed a series of murders. Between 1995 and 2001, he is believed to have killed at least 26 women—mostly from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside—and confessed to an undercover officer that he had murdered 49, aiming for 50.
In 2007, Pickton was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with no parole for 25 years. In 2010, prosecutors stayed 20 additional charges, citing that he was already serving the maximum sentence allowed. His case remains one of Canada’s most notorious serial murder investigations.
On December 9, 2007, Robert Pickton was convicted of second-degree murder in the deaths of six women. The victims were:
Homicide Canada – Pickton Victims
- Serena Abotsway (29), missing since August 22, 2001
- Mona Lee Wilson (26), missing since November 30, 2001
- Andrea Joesbury (22), missing since June 8, 2001
- Brenda Ann Wolfe (32), missing since April 25, 2000
- Georgina Faith Papin (34), missing since March 2001
- Marnie Lee Anne Frey (24), missing since December 29, 1997
Pickton had also been charged with the first-degree murders of 21 other women. However, those charges were stayed on August 4, 2010, meaning they were set aside and not pursued in court. These women included:
- Jacquelene Michelle McDonell (22), missing since January 16, 1999
- Dianne Rosemary Rock (34), missing since December 13, 2001
- Heather Kathleen Bottomley (27), missing since April 17, 2001
- Jennifer Lynn Furminger (28), missing since December 27, 1999
- Helen Mae Hallmark (20), missing since June 15, 1997
- Patricia Rose Johnson (25), missing since January 2, 2001
- Heather Gabrielle Chinnock (30), last seen in April 2001
- Tanya Holyk (23), missing since November 3, 1996
- Sherry Leigh Irving (24), missing since February 22, 1997
- Inga Monique Hall (46), last seen in February 1998
- Tiffany Louise Drew (27), missing since December 31, 1999
- Sarah Jean de Vries (29), last seen in April 1998
- Cynthia “Cindy” Feliks (43), last seen in December 1997
- Angela Rebecca Jardine (27), missing since November 20, 1998
- Diana Melnick (23), last seen in December 1995
- Mission Jane Doe, unidentified remains found on February 25, 1995
- Debra Lynne Jones (42), last seen in December 2000
- Wendy Crawford (43), last seen in December 1999
- Kerry Lynn Koski (38), missing since January 7, 1998
- Andrea Fay Borhaven (25), last seen in March 1997
- Cara Louise Ellis (25), missing since January 21, 1997
In addition to those charges, Pickton was linked to the disappearances of four more women, though he was never officially charged in those cases:
- Mary Ann Clark (25), disappeared in August 1991
- Stephanie Lane (20), disappeared in January 1997; some of her remains were found but later misplaced
- Dawn Teresa Crey (42), last seen in December 2000
- Yvonne Marie Boen (33), reported missing on March 16, 2001
These women are among dozens whose cases remain a haunting reminder of the tragedy, systemic failures, and lasting impact of Pickton’s crimes.
