A new report from the Correctional Service of Canada's investigation board details the events leading up to the death of B.C. serial killer, Robert Pickton, as well as provides recommendations.
Pickton, 74, died in hospital May 31, 2024, days after he was assaulted at the maximum-security Port-Cartier Institution in Quebec on May 19, 2024. Correctional Service Canada said at the time that it would be launching an investigation into the assault.
The Board of Investigation released its report Friday (July 4).
Pickton who was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of six women in B.C. had received "extensive media coverage across the country and around the world," the report details. He'd been incarcerated at the Port-Cartier Institution since 2018 and his security level had been maintained at maximum since his intake assessment in 2008.
On May 19, 2024, at 5:16 p.m., medication was being distributed in the unit and Pickton was assaulted by another inmate.
The report says that when the assault started, the correctional officer assigned to control the post requested the help of other officers, "who quickly intervened and were able to convince the aggressor to stop the assault."
Two minutes later, according to the case summary, "the aggressor then grabbed a broomstick, broke the handle, and thrust it into the face of Mr. Pickton." Corrections officers again intervened and managed to handcuff the other inmate and escort him to the "structured intervention unit."
Pickton was then taken by ambulance, under escort, to the Centre de sant茅 et de services sociaux de Sept-脦les around 5:57 p.m. He was determined to be in critical condition and then taken by air ambulance to the H么pital Enfant-J茅sus in Qu茅bec City the next day where he was admitted to intensive care.
He died 12 days later on May 31, 2024.
Correctional Service Canada is required by law to investigate incidents where an inmate under their care and custody dies or is seriously injured. The investigation board, comprised of four members including the national investigator, convened on July 4, 2024.
The board considered four areas in its investigation: pre-incident indicators leading up to the assault, the security classification of the two inmates and their placement in at Port-Cartier Institution, the staff presence where the assault happened, and the staff response to the incident.
Thirty-five staff members, mainly from Port-Cartier Institution, but also from Donnacona Institution and the special handling unit, were interviewed. The board also consulted the sergeant investigator of the Quebec police in charge of the investigation, along with staff from both the regional and national headquarters.
The audio and CCTV footage recordings from the day of the incident were also analyzed. The case summary says the Board of Investigations virtually visited the operational unit and location of the assault and "used virtual tools to obtain file documentation and to conduct interviews."
The board found that although the staff presence was consistent with current practice standards, there was an "underlying issue regarding access to wooden handles from mops and brooms," which was the weapon used in the assault.
The board also found that inmates had free access to cleaning items and there were no functional locking cabinets that could be used to store the mops or brooms. There was also no inventory of the items at the time of the assault.
It made three recommendations.
The first was for Port-Cartier Institution staff to reduce accessibility to the cleaning products. The management said it was open to reviewing the access to cleaning supplies and "there were projects in progress" to find solutions.
As for the the two inmates, the board analyzed their casework records for the six months prior to the assault and found that the "structured 45-day casework records for both inmates involved in the incident were not in compliance with policy, despite their importance in the assessment of inmate progress."
The report states that there is a need to review training that currently exists for corrections officers to carry out tasks such as structured casework records. The board's second recommendation was that Correctional Service Canada ensure all officers are equipped with the proper tools to better evaluate inmates' progress.
The board also raised concerns after it was found that the next of kin initially notified the day of his death was not the correct next of kin for Pickton. The report says the board was unable to determine whether Pickton was aware his next of kin had changed their contact information or whether the erroneous information provided to the hospital had any impact on the case.
The third recommendation was to assess the current practices of collecting and sharing information of an inmate's next of kin.
Pickton was serving a life sentence for six counts of second-degree murder, with the maximum parole ineligibility period of 25 years. His sentence began Dec. 11, 2007.
Twenty additional counts of first-degree murder led to a stay of proceedings in 2010.
He was charged with the murders of 26 women, but the remains or DNA of 33 SA国际影视传媒� many who were taken from VancouverSA国际影视传媒檚 Downtown Eastside SA国际影视传媒� were found on PicktonSA国际影视传媒檚 Port Coquitlam pig farm. He once bragged to an undercover officer that he killed a total of 49.
PicktonSA国际影视传媒檚 confirmed victims were Sereena Abotsway, Mona Wilson, Andrea Joesbury, Brenda Ann Wolfe, Georgina Papin and Marnie Frey.
No criminal charges have been laid in the case of Pickton's death, the report notes, and Correctional Service Canada has not yet received any reports from the Quebec Coroners Office.
