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| Families pained by Canada verdict |
| Relatives of women killed by Canadian Robert Pickton and police investigating their deaths have voiced disappointment at his second-degree murder conv
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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
, 10-December-2007
9:45:58 AM |
| Pickton, 58, was convicted on Sunday of the murders of six women whose remains were found on his Vancouver farm.
However, the jury could not decide if all the killings were pre-meditated and so convicted him of a lesser murder charge, which could allow parole.
Pickton still faces 20 more murder charges for the deaths of women.
Most of the women he is accused of murdering were prostitutes and drug addicts from a seedy Vancouver neighbourhood.
If convicted on all charges, Pickton would be Canada's most prolific serial killer.
On Sunday, he was found guilty of killing Mona Wilson, Sereena Abotsway, Marnie Frey, Brenda Wolfe, Andrea Joesbury and Georgina Papin.
The verdict followed a week of deliberations by the jury, and 10 months of gruesome testimony and evidence.
Under Canadian law a murder conviction leads to an automatic life sentence, but the second rather than first-degree murder verdict means he could technically be eligible for parole in 10 years' time.
"It should have been first degree," Rick Frey, father of Marnie Frey, said. "You don't have six murders over that time and not have first degree."
'Second class citizens'
Bill Fordy, the police officer who questioned Pickton after his arrest, agreed, saying: "We let these girls and women down in life. We've now let them down in death."
Gladys Raddick, who held a prayer ceremony for friends and relatives of those killed, thought the verdict was an insult to the victims' memory.
"I was really disappointed because they were people and I really honestly believe that first-degree murder would have been appropriate," she said.
"To me, they weren't second-class citizens and that is the way the verdict came down - as second-class citizens."
But family members were relieved that there was at least a conviction.
If and when a trial over the 20 other killings takes place will now depend on whether Pickton decides to appeal against this verdict.
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