Open in full screen mode Dozens of people participated in a candlelight vigil at the site of Robert Pickton's farm in Port Coquitlam. Radio-Canada Speech synthesis, based on artificial intelligence, makes it possible to generate spoken text from written text.< /p> The families of Robert Pickton's victims who organized a candlelight vigil Wednesday evening on the former site of his farm, in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, are stunned to realize that the serial killer could apply for day parole as early as Thursday. According to the Parole Board of Canada (PBC), Robert Pickton is eligible for day parole starting February 22, 2024. If such a request were granted, he would return to prison or a social rehabilitation center in the evening after having been free to participate in community activities during the day. WARNING: This article contains material that may be shocking to some readers. In a statement, a PBC spokesperson indicated that no hearing was automatically scheduled for Robert Pickton on Thursday. Offenders must apply for a parole review, the spokesperson said. Radio-Canada was unable to determine whether a request on behalf of Robert Pickton had been made or not. In 2007, the serial killer was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of full parole for 25 years. Loading ELSEWHERE ON INFO: ArriveCAN: suspended officials denounce witch hunt His trial was one of the most expensive and high-profile in Canada. At the time, Robert Pickton was considered the greatest serial killer in the history of the country. His victims were mainly prostitutes and drug addicts from Vancouver's poor Downtown Eastside. During an interrogation that took place in 2002 and a conversation with a police officer who claimed to be a fellow inmate, Robert Pickton, claimed he had killed 49 women and intended to kill more. Investigators later discovered the remains or DNA of 33 women at his pig farm in Port Coquitlam, about 25 kilometers from Vancouver. Relatives of victims of Robert Pickton opposed to the destruction of evidence by the RCMP The site of Robert Pickton's farm where the victims' families gathered on Wednesday now belongs to the provincial government. It is important to honor the women who lost their lives here, as well as my daughter, said Michele Pineault, the mother of Stephanie Lane, part of whose skeleton was found at the Pickton farm.
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Stephanie Lane was reported missing by her mother in 1997, but her remains were not found until 2003.
The serial killer was never charged for the murder, although Stephanie Lane's remains were returned to her family in 2014. She is believed to be Robert Pickton's youngest victim, aged 20 years old when she disappeared from the Downtown Eastside in 1997.
Ms. Pineault is stunned to believe that the killer serial can apply for day parole: Pickton should not walk this earth. He doesn't deserve to take a single step outside.
He must stay where he is until he dies.
A quote from Michele Pineault, mother of Stephanie Lane
Potential destruction of evidence
< p class="StyledBodyHtmlParagraph-sc-48221190-4 hnvfyV">The candlelight vigil also took place in a context that raised fears that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) would destroy or return evidence of the Pickton affair. The RCMP believes that it “is not authorized to retain property indefinitely” and that this procedure is required by law.
In 2020, the RCMP began filing applications with the court for judicial authorization to dispose of exhibits that had been presented during the trial of 2007.
The long list includes a woman's heeled shoe, a pink pillowcase and a syringe.
The province's solicitor general, Mike Farnworth, said authorities would do whatever is within their power to ensure that families are involved in any pending applications.
We We know that this is an extremely sensitive issue for families, he said. We want to make sure everything is done correctly and their concerns should be taken into account in any decision made on this matter.
With information from Akshay Kulkarni