Known as one of the most disturbing serial killers in Canadian history, Robert Pickton met his own gruesome end when a fellow inmate at Quebec's Port-Cartier prison drove a spike into his skull on May 19, 2024.
Getty ImagesCanadian serial killer Robert Pickton, who admitted to killing 49 women, died on May 31, 2024 after suffering a violent prison attack by a fellow inmate.
Robert Pickton, a Canadian serial killer who murdered dozens of victims on his pig farm near Vancouver, mostly in the late 1990s and early 2000s, died in May 2024 at age 74 after being assaulted by a fellow inmate.
After he was arrested in 2002, Pickton infamously bragged about killing 49 women, saying that his only regret was not being able to get to an even 50. However, in 2007, he was found guilty of the murders of just six women.
To the families of the victims, Robert Pickton’s death on May 31, 2024 served as a fitting end for one of the most disturbing predators in Canadian history.
The Grisly Crimes Of The “Pig Farmer Killer” Robert Pickton
Robert Pickton — sometimes known as “Pork Chop Rob” or “Willie” — was a Canadian pig farmer living in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. Born to Leonard and Louise Pickton, Robert and his brother David grew up tending to the family’s farm under the intense scrutiny of their mother.
Louise Pickton was described as an eccentric, tough workaholic who put her sons to work for long hours, even on school days. The boys were often sent to school smelling like pig dung and manure, and for some reason, Louise insisted they only take baths. Some reports even said that Robert Pickton, as a child, hid inside pig carcasses when he wanted to avoid people.
Vancouver Police DepartmentCrime scene photo of Robert Pickton’s trailer, taken during the search of his property.
Disturbingly, some reports suggest that Pickton’s murderous instincts may have been inherited from his mother. As the story goes, Dave Pickton once hit a 14-year-old boy by the name of Tim Barrett with his truck. Panicked, he told Louise what happened, and though the details are murky and some say she killed the boy, what is clear is that Tim Barrett was found dead the next day after drowning.
By the early 1990s, Robert and David Pickton were operating their own farm, though they realized they could make more money by selling off some of their property. They made millions on the sales, and converted their slaughterhouse into a rave house, where crowds of upwards of 2,000 people would go to party. Among these crowds were members of local biker gangs and sex workers.
In 1997, Pickton was charged with the attempted murder of a sex worker named Wendy Lynn Eistetter, and though that charge was later dismissed, it did make Pickton’s employee, Bill Hiscox, aware of the fact that women who visited the farm often went missing.
Then, in February 2002, police received a warrant to search Pickton’s farm. They were looking for illegal firearms, but they found the remains or DNA evidence of at least 33 women. Pickton was initially arrested on two murder charges, though that number would eventually climb to 26.
Pickton was ultimately only convicted of six counts of second-degree murder in 2007 and sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years, the maximum sentence for a second-degree murder charge in Canada. But before he could even become eligible for parole, Robert Pickton died after he was assaulted by another inmate.
Robert Pickton’s Death After A Brutal Prison Assault
On May 31, 2024, 74-year-old Robert Pickton died in the hospital following injuries he received during an assault on May 19. He had been in a medically-induced coma and on life support in the days leading up to his death.
While being held at Port-Cartier Institution in Quebec, Pickton was assaulted by a 51-year-old inmate named Martin Charest. At the time, it was unclear what triggered the assault, and Correctional Service Canada (CSC) said only that the inmate was in custody following the attack.
“The investigation will examine all of the facts and circumstances surrounding the assault, including whether policies and protocols were followed,” CSC said in the statement. “We are mindful that this offender’s case has had a devastating impact on communities in British Columbia and across the country, including Indigenous peoples, victims and their families. Our thoughts are with them.”
Court DocumentsA journal entry written by Robert Pickton, submitted as evidence in court.
Some details about the assault on Pickton later emerged, however. In an interview with CTV News, the family of Marnie Frey, who was 24 when she went missing in 1997, shared alleged details of Pickton’s assault, as told to them by their lawyer.
“The guy that assaulted him stabbed him first with a toothbrush in the neck, and then he broke a broom handle,” Rick Frey, Marnie’s father, said. “And when you break something like a broom handle, you always get a sharp end, and so he took the sharp end and he stuck it into his nose, up into his skull.”
Officials only described the encounter as a “major assault,” but even the gruesome description given by Rick Frey did not paint a picture of a punishment that fit Pickton’s crimes.
Lynn Frey, Rick’s wife and Marnie’s stepmother, told the news outlet, “I guess he suffered at the end somewhere along the line. But he still, in my view, hasn’t suffered enough for all the deaths that he caused, all the women that are gone.”
Reactions from family members of Pickton’s other victims were also mixed. Most were happy that Pickton was finally gone and that they could put the past behind them, but many were also sad for the victims whose stories were never told in court.
Victims’ Families React To News Of Robert Pickton’s Death
Vancouver Police DepartmentMissing women from the Vancouver area in the late 1990s and early 2000s, many of whom are believed to be Robert Pickton’s victims.
Cynthia Cardinal, whose sister Georgina Papin was among Pickton’s victims, said, “This is gonna bring healing for, I won’t say all families, I’ll just say most of the families. I’m like — wow, finally. I can actually move on and heal and I can put this behind me.”
Michele Pineault, whose 20-year-old daughter Stephanie Lane was murdered by Pickton but was not one of the victims he was found guilty of killing, told The Globe and Mail that she was “elated” over the news of Robert Pickton’s death.
“So, 28 years I have lived without my daughter, knowing that this animal murdered her, and that there was no justice for her in any way, shape, or form,” she said tearfully. “So I’m elated. I’m happy.”
She added that since Lane’s death, her “life has not been about my daughter — my life has been about Pickton.”
“At least we got a little bit of accountability from Marine, but all the other families got nothing,” Lynn Frey remarked. “You know, there’s a lot of families that never had their day in court and never will. And how can they? I can’t imagine how they feel over this.”
The Freys and other victims’ families are still involved in a fight against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s plan to return or destroy thousands of pieces of evidence seized for Pickton’s case. Robert Pickton’s death also reopened old wounds for some families who felt that the police did not take the case seriously enough at the time because many women involved were sex workers.
British Columbia Premiere David Elby acknowledged this in a statement. When asked about Pickton’s death, he said, “Good riddance… Robert Pickton preyed on the most vulnerable people in our society, people who were cast aside as less-than-equal, not as worthy, and he was able to murder so many people just because of the profile of the people he chose to victimize,” he said. “And our focus needs to continue to be to recognize that every single person in this province is valued and welcome.”
After reading about Robert Pickton’s death, read about another infamous killer, Ted Bundy. Then, read about Alaskan serial killer Robert Hansen.
