The Case That inspired “The County Road Cover Up” & “Mass Grave”
Source credits:
murderpedia.org, wikipedia.org, nationalpost
Robert William Pickton born in October 24, 1949 of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada
I’m sure, if you have been listing to my music for at least the last few years, you would have heard me mention the name, “Willie Pickton” or “Willie” and “Pickton”, in one form or another in a few of my songs. Although this case isn’t based in America, I thought it was an extraordinary story that’s very different from the ‘killer norms’ and more trendy names like Ted Bundy, etc. The fact that Pickton went on a span of crimes from early 1980’s-2002 amazes me and how he was able to fly under the radar for so long. However, he was eventually convicted in 2007 of second-degree murders of six women, and he was also the subject of interest of other cases which yielded evidence of even more murders.
He ran a pig farm with his younger brother, David, that was passed down by generations of family. By the time he was arrested, Pickton had already transitioned the pig farm to utilize the land for different farming endeavors and would only raise a few pigs to sell to friends and neighbors.
Robert Pickton’s Pig Farm being raided on Feb, 2002 by RCMP (pictured above):
Robert Pickton’s Pig Farm being raided on Feb, 2002 by RCMP (pictured above):
Robert Pickton’s Pig Farm being raided on Feb, 2002 by RCMP (pictured above):
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BELOW ARE SOME CRIME SCENE PHOTOS TAKEN FROM PICKTON’S PROPERTY:
ROBERT PICKTON JUMPING INTO HIS PIGPEN (pictured below):
Willie would drive a rusted pickup truck and invite drug addicted sex workers, also often referred to as “strawberries”, many of which came from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. To him, they were easy, vulnerable targets that he was able to lure in with the promise of money and/or drugs in exchange for sex. Once he gets them back to the “piggy palace”, as it was known, it was all downhill from there. In court documents, Pickton was known to feed his victims to some of his pigs as a means of disposal and getting rid of the evidence. He would usually use syringes filled with antifreeze to inject his victims which gave a five to ten minute window before they’ve succumbed. Pickton would also butcher and dispose any remnants of the victims throughout his putrid, junkyard-like property.
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On the night he was arrested, he was set up to room with an undercover agent in hopes of coaxing more information from the boondock madman. The plan worked in law enforcement’s favor as he released details in the form of a wild, pessimistic confession since he admittedly failed to meet his ‘intended’ body count. The conversation with his cell mate was captured on audio and video.
Below is Part One of the actual jail cell footage and is a demented two-part series:
Part Two:
I can’t pinpoint just one aspect of this case that caught my attention since there’s so many twists and turns; it’s an ‘almost’ never ending gory story. Mostly, in my opinion, he was a skinny, meek, unkempt and unsuspecting neighborly farmer, meanwhile, he was targeting the vulnerable and desperate women around town. I also don’t believe he did all of this by himself – he had confessed to killing 49 women; it just seems like a lot of work and coverup work for one individual. Then again, those you least suspect are sometimes the ultimate culprits.
Below is a photo of the missing women police believe Pickton may be connected with in their disappearances:
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Here are the names and details of the missing that may be connected to Pickton:
(credit: wikipedia.org)
Count 1, Sereena Abotsway (born August 20, 1971), age 29 when she disappeared in August 2001; her foster mother reported her missing on August 22, 2001.
Count 2, Mona Lee Wilson (born January 13, 1975), age 26 when she went to her doctor on November 30, 2001, and was reported missing that night.
Count 6, Andrea Joesbury, age 22 when last seen in June 2001; reported missing June 8, 2001.
Count 7, Brenda Ann Wolfe, age 32 when last seen in February 1999; reported missing on April 25, 2000.
Count 16, Marnie Lee Frey, last seen August 1997; reported missing on December 29, 1997.Vancouver Police Missing Persons Case #98-209922.
Count 11, Georgina Faith Papin, last seen in January 1999 and reported missing in March 2001.
More victims
Pickton also stood accused of first-degree murder in the deaths of 20 other women until these charges were stayed on August 4, 2010.Count 3, Jacqueline Michelle McDonell, 23 when she was last seen in January 1999. Vancouver Police Missing Persons Case # 99-039699.
Count 4, Dianne Rosemary Rock (born September 2, 1967), 34 when last seen on October 19, 2001. Reported missing December 13, 2001.
Count 5, Heather Kathleen Bottomley (born August 17, 1973), 27 when she was last seen (and reported missing) on April 17, 2001.
Count 8, Jennifer Lynn Furminger, last seen in 1999.
Count 9, Helen Mae Hallmark, last seen August 1997. Vancouver Police Missing Persons Case #98-226384.
Count 10, Patricia Rose Johnson, last seen in March 2001.
Count 12, Heather Chinnook, 30 when last seen in April 2001.
Count 13, Tanya Holyk, 23 when last seen in October 1996.
Count 14, Sherry Irving, 24 when last seen in 1997.
Count 15, Inga Monique Hall, 46 when last seen in February 1998. Vancouver Police Missing Persons Case # 98-047919.
Count 17, Tiffany Drew, last seen December 1999.
Count 18, Sarah de Vries, last seen April 1998.
Count 19, Cynthia Feliks, last seen in December 1997.
Count 20, Angela Rebecca Jardine, last seen November 20, 1998, between 3:30- 4p.m. at Oppenheimer Park at a rally in the downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver Police Missing Persons Case # 98.286097.
Count 21, Diana Melnick, last seen in December 1995.
Count 22, Jane Doe, charge lifted* (see below)
Count 23, Debra Lynne Jones, last seen in December 2000.
Count 24, Wendy Crawford, last seen in December 1999.
Count 25, Kerry Koski, last seen in January 1998.
Count 26, Andrea Fay Borhaven, last seen in March 1997. Vancouver Police Missing Persons Case # 99.105703.
Count 27, Cara Louise Ellis aka Nicky Trimble (born April 13, 1971), 25 when last seen in 1996. Reported missing October 2002.
*As of March 2, 2006, the murder charge involving the unidentified victim has been lifted. Pickton refused to enter a plea on the charge involving this victim, known in the proceedings as Jane Doe, so the court registered a not-guilty plea on his behalf. “The count as drawn fails to meet the minimal requirement set out in Section 581 of the Criminal Code. Accordingly, it must be quashed”, wrote Justice James Williams. The detailed reasons for the judge’s ruling cannot be reported in Canada because of the publication ban covering this stage of the trial.
