Forensic psychiatrist doesn’t believe admitted serial killer has schizophrenia

Posted on June 5, 2024 by Peggy

WINNIPEG –

Warning: This article contains content that may be disturbing to readers. Discretion is advised.

A forensic psychiatrist has testified he believes admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki’s self-described symptoms of schizophrenia are ‘fabrications’ made after his arrest in the killings of four Indigenous women.

Skibicki has admitted to killing four women: Rebecca Contois, Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran, and an unidentified woman who Indigenous leaders have given the name Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe or Buffalo Woman.

His lawyers are arguing Skibicki should be found not criminally responsible for the deaths due to mental disorder.

Following a court order last month, Ontario-based forensic psychiatrist Dr. Gary Chaimowitz met via video with Skibicki for about eight hours over the May long weekend to conduct a psychiatric assessment.

“In my view, he does not meet the criteria for being found not criminally responsible,” Chaimowitz told the court Wednesday.

He said through his assessment of Skibicki, he believes the man has anti-social personality disorder, substance abuse disorder and homicidal necrophilia – an arousal or sexual attraction to corpses.

However, Chaimowitz told the court he found no evidence that Skibicki is or was suffering from schizophrenia.

“I believe that the plethora of symptoms that Mr. Skibicki described to me were fabrications of a major mental disorder,” Chaimowitz said.

He told the court Skibicki suggested he was being compelled by God to kill the four women, even though he felt it was legally wrong.

“In my view, it was only after Mr. Skibicki was arrested that he started speaking about things which may have been described as hallucinations or delusions such as messages from God,” Chaimowitz said.

He said none of the multiple health-care or social service providers Skibicki saw over many years ever reported symptoms consistent with schizophrenia.

“In fact, no one assessing Mr. Skibicki in his periods of custody when he was seen multiple times by health-care providers have ever diagnosed or treated him for schizophrenia,” Chaimowitz said.

The trial continues Wednesday afternoon.

There is a support line available for those impacted by missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and LGBTQ2S+ people: 1-844-413-6649.

The Hope for Wellness Hotline for Indigenous people, with support in Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut, is also available 24/7 in Canada at 1-855-242-3310.

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