HO
Serial killer Robert Pickton reveals neither fear nor guilt as he speaks to police after his arrest for murder on Feb. 22, 2002.
Despite intensive questioning stretching over 11 hours, Mr. Pickton never becomes hostile. He does not even appear restless or start fidgeting.
He speaks quietly, stumbling over words, occasionally mangling common expressions. He delights in recounting practical jokes he once played or incidents in his life that portray him as a bit of a daredevil. He is polite and deferential. As police try to extract a confession, Mr. Pickton offers a deal. When police pull back, he suggests they "just sleep on it for a day or two."
For the first time, the public can now see the depraved serial killer speak to police and later boast of killing 49 women to a cellmate who is an undercover cop. The transcript and partial videotape were released Friday to the news media after the lifting of publication bans imposed during his 2007 murder trial, where the full videotape was shown. He talks about his life, the ghastly activities on his farm and Vancouver's missing women.
Mr. Pickton was interviewed on the day after he was arrested, before most of the horrific evidence of murder was discovered on his farm. In the marathon session with police, the pig farmer who dropped out of school at 16 to work full-time on the farm, stickhandles difficult questions from senior RCMP interviewers with a polite "no comment." He acknowledges that police may find bodies on his property, but he does not admit to playing any role in the deaths.
In an effort to extract an admission, RCMP Staff Sergeant Don Adam appeals to Mr. Pickton to admit what he did to spare the families. "That's not my problem," Mr. Pickton replies.
"Well, let me ask you a question," Staff Sgt. Adam says. "If it was your niece or nephew, wouldn't you want - "
Mr. Pickton interrupts. "If it was my niece or nephew? They're at the wrong place at the right time. What else can I say."
But after the interview he was taken back to his cell, where he makes several incriminating statements while exchanging stories with the undercover cop.
The transcript of those conversations shows Mr. Pickton saying he killed 49 women and planned to do one more before stopping for a while. Then he was going to do another 25. He also indicates he disposed of bodies in a rendering plant.
He says he was caught by police because he was too busy at work and did not clean up. "I made my own grave by being sloppy," he says.
Although his defence team portrayed him as having limited intelligence, Mr. Pickton appears to be aware of his situation. "They are not going to let me walk," he tells the undercover cop. "They're going to nail me to the cross," he says repeatedly.
Mr. Pickton was convicted of second-degree murder of six women in 2007. On July, 30, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld his conviction. Police believe he was responsible for the deaths of as many as 33 and possibly up to 49 women.
Read the full transcripts below.
Editor's Note: The transcripts include vulgar language and other comments that may offend some readers.
DECISION ON PICKTON INQUIRY WITHIN TWO WEEKS, CAMPBELL SAYS
Premier Gordon Campbell said his government will decide within two weeks whether to hold a public inquiry into the disappearance of dozens of women from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, some of whom fell prey to Robert Pickton.
He said the primary issue is not cost, it's making sure an inquiry would be effective and produce results.
But he warned that public inquiries can become marathons that often get bogged down in legal arguments.
The government will make a decision on an inquiry after it reviews reports from the RCMP and the Vancouver police on their investigations of the missing women.
The Canadian Press