Robert Picton sentenced....

vedderfan10

to LIFE without parole eligibility for parole for 25 years...well, 19 because he's already been in jail for six years. Personally, I feel that he should get six 25-year consecutive sentences, not concurrent...maybe he'll get more when he's up on the other 20 counts of first degree murder. I will attach a link later...although I'm sure the world has heard about this nasty vile putrid pig farmer from Port Coquitlam, BC...

angelica

He murdered one of my close friends from my teenage years. :(

RIP: Cindy Beck.

vedderfan10

The MOST heinous of crimes. I truly feel for your loss...after hearing those impact statements today on the news, there's really nothing left to say..

I used to work in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver for a mental health team, and I have no doubt that we saw Picton cruising for flesh...a lot of cars were seen looking for a good time first thing in the morning....

Once, there was an old beat up van parked in front of our office - it was there for over a week before I called the cops and reported the bad smell coming from it (this was in 1996/97/98). They came and took it away on a flatbed truck and had police tape around it.

I called a few weeks later and they said that it had been abandoned by some farmer from Port Coquitlam and he came and got it out of impound. Didn't think anything of it until the police started paying attention to all the missing women in 2000 or so. Now when I think about it, it makes me sick.

angelica

Vedderfan10 wrote:

The MOST heinous of crimes. I truly feel for your loss...after hearing those impact statements today on the news, there's really nothing left to say..

I used to work in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver for a mental health team, and I have no doubt that we saw Picton cruising for flesh...a lot of cars were seen looking for a good time first thing in the morning....

Once, there was an old beat up van parked in front of our office - it was there for over a week before I called the cops and reported the bad smell coming from it (this was in 1996/97/98). They came and took it away on a flatbed truck and had police tape around it.

I called a few weeks later and they said that it had been abandoned by some farmer from Port Coquitlam and he came and got it out of impound. Didn't think anything of it until the police started paying attention to all the missing women in 2000 or so. Now when I think about it, it makes me sick.

I was completely shocked when I found out about Cindy. She did not have an easy life, long before her time as a sex trade worker and apparently, an addict. And obviously her death was horrific as well. My brother lives in the downtown East Side of Vancouver. I hear it's notorious and renowned for it's crime.

Peace.

vedderfan10

'Tis worse than any other North American city...I think it's a lot more dangerous now than it was when I last worked there 10 years ago...more guns, harsher drugs. Open drug dealing and prostitution...At least there's more cops now....and a safe injection site. Still very seedy and most people pretend it doesn't exist and the people down there don't matter.

At least this picton thing reinforces that these people are someone's mother, sister, daughter, best friend, son, father, uncle, brother...

I do wish they declared him a dangerous offender, though...

small town beck

So sad. Angelica, I am sorry about your friend. I had read the stories in the G&M(I think) about the women's histories.. so sad. Most of them came from really difficult backgrounds and the cycle of violence continued. I hope that karma pays back him and anyone else that was involved.

Kel Varnsen

Vedderfan10 wrote:

to LIFE without parole eligibility for parole for 25 years...well, 19 because he's already been in jail for six years. Personally, I feel that he should get six 25-year consecutive sentences, not concurrent...maybe he'll get more when he's up on the other 20 counts of first degree murder. I will attach a link later...although I'm sure the world has heard about this nasty vile putrid pig farmer from Port Coquitlam, BC...

The concurrent sentences were weird to me too. The other thing I didn't really understand (and maybe someone with legal expertise can explain it to me) is how does a serial killer get convicted of second degree murder? From what I read in the paper 1st degree is a murder that was “planned and deliberate” where 2nd degree was not (more of a heat of the moment type of thing). But if he murdered multiple people over a long period of time how is that not something planned?

vedderfan10

Yes - that seems to bother just about everyone in BC. The first charge should have been 2nd degree and the other five first degree. But, they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he acted alone...second degree also applies to a person who is a "willing participant" in the murder, but not the one who actually committed the act.

Gotta love that Canadian Justice System. Can't have manslaughter without laughter...

DriftingByTheStorm

Prosecutors go for 2nd Degree Murder convictions when there is no room for error.

In other words, they feel they absolutely MUST have a conviciton, and they aren't going to let someone get off because 1st Degree may not stick.

It doesn't mean it was not premedidated, and it doesn't mean they couldn't have gotten a conviction for such.

It just means they wanted to get a murder conviction and they would lessen the charge to "guarantee" that.