Robert Pickton, a 74-year-old convicted serial killer, is in a medically induced coma and on life support after an assault by a fellow inmate at Port-Cartier Institution in Quebec. The attack, confirmed as “major” by Correctional Service Canada (CSC), occurred four days ago.
Sûreté du Québec (SQ) spokesperson Hughes Beaulieu confirmed that Pickton remains in critical condition. “The victim has been placed into an artificial coma to stabilize him,” Beaulieu said. “Doctors may attempt to wake him up in a few days to reassess his condition.” Beaulieu did not comment further on Pickton’s injuries or medical care.
CSC has identified the assailant and taken “appropriate actions.” The SQ is currently investigating the attack but has not yet spoken to the 51-year-old man, who remains in isolation. Canada’s Public Safety Minister Dominic Leblanc confirmed an investigation into the attack earlier this week.
Pickton was charged with the murders of 26 women and convicted of six second-degree murders in 2007. The victims were Sereena Abotsway, Mona Wilson, Andrea Joesbury, Marnie Frey, Georgina Papin, and Brenda Wolfe. The remains or DNA of 33 women, many of them Indigenous, were found at Pickton’s pig farm in Port Coquitlam, B.C.
Chief Marilyn Slett of the Heiltsuk Tribal Council said that news of the attack has revived painful memories for the victims’ families and Indigenous people. Tammy Lynn Papin, sister of victim Georgina Papin, said she felt “relieved and happy” upon hearing of the attack, stating, “I don’t wish any harm on anybody but — karma, you know?”
