Few people would have mourned infamous serial killer Robert Pickton, who died on May 31 after he was attacked in a Quebec prison.
Pickton,74, was serving a 25-year sentence for killing six women in British Columbia.
Originally charged with 26 murders, 20 counts were stayed.
Many of the victims were Indigenous women from Vancouver’s downtown eastside.
It was felt by the Crown that gaining convictions on every charge would be an overly long and expensive process, and Pickton was already serving the maximum sentence allowed.
It didn’t exactly feel like justice for all. Some of the families of these women were upset while others expressed relief they could avoid the pain of a trial..
Pickton actually confessed to an undercover RCMP officer of murdering a total of 49 women.
We don’t even know all their names.
The remains or DNA of 33 women were eventually excavated from the killer’s pig farm.
In the months and years following trial, there was plenty of blame to go around, with resulting inquiries and apologies for a series of mishandlings.
In response to criticism and analysis of how the investigations and cases were handled, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was established in 2016.
How best to memorializes these victims and ensure their names are not forgotten has been a contentious issues for families; with some in favour of such a project and others opposed.
Everybody counts, and everybody deserves to be remembered and receive justice, no matter how long it takes.
Black Press Media
