Robert Pickton - Crim 105 - Julian Goulet PDF

Preview

Summary

Download Robert Pickton - Crim 105 - Julian Goulet PDF

Description

An Analysis of Robert Pickton Julian Goulet Crim 105 - ON 1 Dr. Erin Osterberg October 24, 2021

Introduction. Robert William Pickton also known as “Willy” Pickton or “Pork Chop Rob” was born on October 24th, 1949 in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. Robert’s parents were pig farmers, passing on responsibility and eventually the farm to the boys. Pickton would go from being a quiet, socially awkward farmer to one of the most prolific serial killers in Canadian history. Childhood and Family Life. Much of what is known about Pickton’s childhood comes from his own personal accounts or from what knowledge the local community had of the family. In 2007, as the Pickton trial was coming to a close, author Stevie Cameron attempted to analyze the childhood of the killer through the accounts of neighbors and those who knew the family. Cameron found that Pickton’s mother may have been one of the primary drivers of Pickton’s actions. Pickton’s father did not have much to do with raising the children, and his mother would push them to work long, hard hours on the farm, even on school days (2007). Despite his mother’s authoritarian and semi-abusive parenting style, Pickton was very close with his mother and followed her demands closely. “I was supposed to go to the army. Only thing is my mother says no, I gotta stay on the farm. I gotta keep the farm going” said Pickton in a 1991 audio journal (The Pig Farm 2011, 35:01). School Performance “I failed grade two twice and I failed grade three. I never stopped for lunch, I never stopped for recess because I kept studying ‘cause I’m getting behind again”- Robert Pickton (The Pig Farm 2011, 17:45). As a result of Pickton’s mother forcing him to work as much as he did, he missed much of his school at a crucial time for educational and social development. He claims that as a boy, he was only going to school two days a week, while working five days a week.

On top of him rarely attending school, Pickton held an IQ of 86, putting him in the 37th percentile overall. In his verbal skills, he sits in the lowest 10% of the population (The Canadian Press, 2007). This meant the time that he did spend in school, was spent in special education as he was slow to learn and did not grasp many of the basic concepts taught to him. This would also have a profound impact on his social ability and relationships later on. Relationships Pickton’s hygiene became something of a local legend. Due to his long hours and the nature of the work, he often smelled of manure, dead animals and garbage and his clothes were never clean. His hygiene and lack of social skills brought on severe peer rejection in his childhood. Pickton rarely had friends in school and even less of a connection in a romantic sense (Cameron 2007). Later on in life, Pickton met Gina Houston, a sex worker from Vancouver’s DTES, who he developed an “adoration” for. “I believe Willy [Robert] was in love with me. They just figure he had me on a pedestal so high, they just don’t know why, I don’t know why. We talked about getting married lots of times. He really wanted to get married and have the white picket fence and the family and everything” said Houston when describing her and Robert’s relationship (The Pig Farm 2011, 19:19). Pickton continuously brought in those facing addiction, those kicked out of shelters or simply those who asked and he would provide work, money and supplies to those who needed it. By surrounding himself with those from vulnerable populations, he was able to find connections and gateways to his victims. Criminal History Prior to a charge in 1998 for the attempted murder of a sex worker in his home there is not much to be found of his criminal record, although he had committed murders before this point, but these would go undocumented until the early 2000s. Pickton became a person of interest in 1998, when a former employee to Pickton, Bill Hiscox, informed RCMP that

Pickton was “killing women.” A second tip later came from a woman in 1999 who claimed to see a dead body hanging inside Picktons barn. In 2000, Pickton was interrogated by the police, this interrogation did not produce anything and he was released (Reid, Lee 2018). After being a person of interest in the case of missing women on the DTES, months of police surveillance and failed attempts to obtain a warrant, police finally entered the Pickton residence after receiving a tip that there were prohibited firearms on the property, both Robert and David were arrested at this time. This led to the finding of an asthma inhaler belonging to a missing woman, women’s clothes and ID cards of missing women. Police searched the property and found evidence of many murders that had been committed on the property. Pickton was convicted with six counts of second degree murder, with twenty more charges and a self-confession of 49 murders (Reid, Lee 2018). Psychosocial History From a young age, Pickton would do “strange things” as described by those who knew him. As a boy, when he wanted to hide, he would crawl into the gutted out carcasses of large hogs (Cameron 2007). Pickton could have developed a disorganized/fearful attachment style during his childhood, possibly leading to identity disorders. Pickton’s acts of predatory crime, and sexual violence could backup the idea of him having a disorganized or negative attachment style that evolved in his adulthood (Lyon 2017, pg 107-109). Pickton also had a tendency to “brag” about not only his killings, but the style of his killings. When police planted an undercover agent in Pickton’s cell, he boasted about the killing and disposal of 49 women (Reid, Lee 2018). Pickton killed in almost a ritualistic way, and the method of his disposal (feeding the remains to pigs or directly mixing it in with processed meat) could have been his own secret way of “showing off” what he had done. This narcissistic attitude, paired with his excellent ability to lie confidently and easily and create convincing stories effortlessly when questioned by police, could point towards Pickton having narcissistic

personality disorder (Lyon 2017, pg 116-117). References and Works Cited Cameron, S. (2007, June 17). Pickton’s mother was a key influence. Thestar.Com. https://www.thestar.com/news/2007/06/17/picktons_mother_was_a_key_influence.html Clarke, M. [CTV Television ]. (2011, March 23). The Pig Farm (2011) [Video]. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1345505/ Canadian Press. (2007, October 15). Pickton’s IQ fits in low end of average, jury hears. CTVNews. https://www.ctvnews.ca/pickton-s-iq-fits-in-low-end-of-average-jury-hears1.260267 Reid, S., Lee, J. Confessions of a Criminal Psychopath: an Analysis of the Robert Pickton Cell-Plant. J Police Crim Psych 33, 257–270 (2018). https://doiorg.proxy.ufv.ca:2443/10.1007/s11896-018-9256-2 Lyon, D. R., & Welsh, A. (2017). The Psychology of Criminal and Violent Behaviour (1st ed.) [E-book], 107-109, 116-117. Oxford University Press....