A poll seeking public opinion on a Winnipeg man accused of murdering four Indigenous women is raising questions about why it’s being conducted and whether its findings are useful.
Online survey conducted by a national polling company main street researchwants the public’s attitude toward Jeremy Skibicki, 36, who is scheduled to go to jury trial this spring after pleading not guilty in November to four counts of first-degree murder.
In 2022, Skibicki allegedly murdered three Indigenous women, Marcedes Mylan, 26, Morgan Harris, 39, and Rebecca Comtois, 24, as well as a fourth, unidentified woman. Mashkode Bizikikwe, or Buffalo Woman). , by indigenous communities.
Respondents to the online survey were first asked if they lived in Manitoba, were over the age of 18, worked in the justice system, and then asked if they knew Skibicki’s name and had an opinion about him. Questions such as: his guilt.
Main Street Research president Kito Maggi confirmed to CBC News on Tuesday that the poll was commissioned by Manitoba Legal Aid, where Skibicki’s lawyer works.
Magee declined to say how much Manitoba Legal Aid paid for the poll or whether the final results would be published, but Main Street has conducted similar polls multiple times in the past. He said he was doing so.
almost 90 percent Legal Aid Manitoba’s 2023 operating funds I came from the prefecture.
Legal Aid Manitoba executive director Peter Kingsley declined to comment Tuesday.
The original link to the survey no longer appears to be active on Wednesday, but MainStreet confirmed that the survey remains active under a different link.
Questions remain about the validity of the survey
The inquiry offers three criminal defenses: no criminal liability due to mental disorder, questionable DNA evidence, and self-defense. This question asks respondents about their general views on each defense and how likely they would accept a not guilty verdict against Skibicki based on them.
Anthony Robinson, a Vancouver-based criminal defense attorney unrelated to the Skibicki case, said these questions could signal the future direction of the defense after Skibicki was denied a judge-alone trial in late January. He said that there is a possibility that
“Have they reached the limit in terms of substantive defense? Or are they renewing the judge’s single re-election bid?” [trial] Is it because they feel Mr. Skibicki won’t get a fair trial in front of a jury?” Robinson said in an interview Tuesday.
“I don’t think the defense attorney has any obligation to tell anyone.”
He said he had not seen this kind of investigation conducted in Canada before, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, and he wonders which defenses would have a greater impact on jurors in the United States. He added that mock juries are sometimes created to investigate.
Robinson said Manitoba Legal Aid may be investing money in Skibicki’s case because it is “highly unusual” and the stakes are high given the serious charges against him.
He noted similarities between Skibicki’s case and his own. Robert Pickton, convicted in December 2007 The second-degree murders of six women who disappeared from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside have become the largest serial murder investigation in Canadian history.
“It was obviously a very large case, so we saw a large amount of resources being allocated to that particular defense,” Robinson said.
But he said Skibicki’s defense could face difficulties if the intent behind the investigation was to use its results to seek a new judge-only trial.
“Just because people respond to a survey in a certain way doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t change their mind once they receive instructions from a judge about how to apply the law to a particular set of facts.”
After contacting both Manitoba Legal Aid and Main Street on Tuesday, CBC News saw a pop-up message that evening indicating there had been a change to the online survey.
At least one question appears to have been removed from the survey, which read: “What have you seen, read, or heard about these women and the men charged with their deaths?” What is the likelihood that the motive for their death was based on…?”
There were four answers to the question: money, race, gender, and status.
Mr Robinson said he did not see the value of that question.
“I don’t know what the answer to that question is going to be. [It] Seems strange to me. ”
“Be discouraged”
Cambria Harris, daughter of Morgan Harris, shared a link to the survey on her social media on Tuesday, asking people to fill it out.
“What is disappointing is how ignorant this research is to families who are currently… experiencing stress and grief every day,” she wrote.
In a statement Wednesday to CBC News, a spokesperson for the Manitoba Assembly of Chiefs said it condemns the investigation, which “ignores the dignity of the victims and their families.”
“We call for a respectful and diligent legal process that prioritizes justice for victims and Indigenous peoples,” the statement said.
But Robinson said defense attorneys must act in their client’s best interests without fear of offending some people.
“That doesn’t mean the investigation isn’t inappropriate or shouldn’t be done. I don’t know why it might be inappropriate or shouldn’t be done for a variety of reasons, but it’s not because it’s unpopular. Not with certain groups of people. ” he said.
“As a defense attorney, you have a duty to act in your client’s interests, and that often includes making unpopular arguments.”
Skibicki’s six-week trial is scheduled to begin April 29, with jury selection scheduled for April 25.