On the Farm

On the Farm

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

It's here: The end of the Pickton legal process

It's been a crazy few days.

Last week, almost three years after Robert William Pickton was found guilty on six counts of second degree murder, lthe Supreme Court of Canada upheld the guilty verdict and ruled against a new trial.

This week the Crown prosecutors stayed twenty counts of first degree murder against Pickton and the trial judge lifted most of the publication bans although a few remain in place.

What all this means is that I am getting closer to sharing the full story.

As most of you know, my new book on the case -- On the Farm: Robert William Pickton and the Tragic Story of Vancouver's Missing Women (Knopf) -- will be released in a few days as an e-book and soon after that as a hardcover.

On the Farm will tell you how this particular serial killer came to be: his family life, his childhood experiences, his friends... and his gradual descent into violent crime. It tells the stories of the women who died on his farm but you will also meet women who escaped.

You will get to know his closest friend for many years, a woman who finally began to suspect her buddy of the worst crimes imaginable. You will meet the members of the police forces who brought him to justice -- after years of denial that a serial killer could be in their midst. You'll get to know the lawyers who spent years on the case, and the scientists and and students who toiled on the property searching every square inch of soil and buildings to look for evidence.

And finally, despite the horrific nature of Pickton's crimes, you will find heroes and heartwarming stories in the unfolding of this case-- the largest and most expensive criminal investigation in Canadian history.


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