Sixth lawsuit filed against Pickton, police Family of Jacqueline Murdock say officials knew of serial killer, but didn't warn the public
BY JAMES KELLER, THE CANADIAN PRESSAUGUST 2, 2013 http://www.theprovince.com/news/Sixth+lawsuit+filed+against+Pickton+police/8740826/story.html The children of yet another woman whose DNA was found on Robert Pickton's farm have launched a civil suit against the serial killer, the Vancouver police and the RCMP, bringing to six the number of families who have launched lawsuits following a sharply critical public inquiry report released late last year. Shari and Ryan Murdock filed a notice of civil claim in mid-July over the death of their mother, Jacqueline Murdock, who was reported missing in August 1997 and whose DNA was later found on Pickton's property after his arrest in February 2002. Murdock was among six women whose DNA was found on the farm but for whom no charges were ever laid. Like the earlier statements of claim, the Murdock children allege the Vancouver police and the RCMP put their mother at risk by failing to properly investigate reports of missing sex workers or warn the public of a potential serial killer. The lawsuits echo the findings of a public inquiry report, released last December, which concluded systemic bias within both police forces slowed the response as women vanished from the Downtown Eastside, many ending up dead on Pickton's farm, in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Commissioner Wally Oppal, a former judge and one-time attorney general, concluded the police response would likely have been different if the missing weren't poor, drug-addicted women, many of them aboriginal, from the Downtown Eastside. The latest statement of claim - which, like the others, contains allegations that haven't been proven in court - alleges police knew a serial killer may have been at work, but did nothing. "Notwithstanding their knowledge of the risk to sex workers, (Vancouver police) and RCMP failed to warn Jacqueline and others of the risk of a serial killer," says the statement of claim. "The failure to warn by the VPD and RCMP was a contributing cause of Jacqueline's death." All six families are being represented by the same lawyer, who has indicated the cases could force Pickton to testify and answer for his crime - something that has yet to happen since his arrest more than a decade ago. The lawsuits have also provided new details about the women and the children they left behind. In the statement of claim, Murdock is described as "a positive, friendly and caring person" who hoped to one day overcome her addiction and return to her family. "She enjoyed writing poetry in her journal," the document says. "Jacqueline is remembered for her fun-loving personality and her loud, contagious laughter." Shari Murdock recently graduated from a social work program, the statement of claim says. Ryan Murdock is a cook. Pickton was initially charged with 27 counts of murder, later reduced to 26, though he was put on trial and convicted of six. The remaining 20 charges were stayed. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Native News North List info{all lists}: http://nativenewsonline.org/natnews.htm Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NatNews-north/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NatNews-north/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: natnews-north-dig...@yahoogroups.com natnews-north-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: natnews-north-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
