WARNING: This story contains graphic details of an alleged murder in a sexual context.
Nikolas Ibey┬атАФ on trial for first-degree murder in the death of an Inuk woman who had just moved┬аto Ottawa from Nunavut to attend┬аcollege in 2022 тАФ was drinking, taking drugs, and had been frustrated in his efforts to find an escort “for eight hours straight” before he finally took what he wanted from his new housemate and left her dead in her room, the Crown alleged in its opening remarks to a 14-member jury on Wednesday.
The victim, 22-year-old Savanna Pikuyak, had arrived in Ottawa and moved in with Ibey┬аjust four days earlier, after she responded to an ad he had posted on Facebook Marketplace┬аabout a room for┬аrent,┬аaccording to assistant Crown attorney Sonia Beauchamp.
Ibey, now 35, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in Ottawa’s Superior Court at the outset of his trial this week, after his guilty plea to the lesser offence of second-degree murder was rejected by the Crown. He is represented by defence lawyers Ewan Lyttle and Maggie McCann.
The trial is┬аscheduled to run for five weeks.
‘Frustrated,’┬а‘lied to,’┬а‘duped’
The Crown contends┬аthat Ibey started talking about his plans for the Saturday night of the killing two days earlier, when he asked a friend if he and his girlfriend would┬аbe interested in a foursome.
The friend told Ibey he┬аthought it would be fun, but when Ibey wasn’t able to reach his friend Saturday night he┬аmoved his search for sex online, Beauchamp told the jury.
In all, Ibey┬аwas on his phone communicating┬аwith 30 sex workers the night of the killing┬атАФ sometimes carrying on multiple conversations at once.
He was “frustrated by being lied to” and “duped into sending money as deposits, only to have no one show┬аup,” Beauchamp┬аalleged.┬аThe only sex worker who did show up┬аleft after speaking┬аto Ibey┬аfor about 15 to 20 minutes.
His search continued “for eight hours straight,”┬аfrom 7 p.m. on Sept. 10 to 3:08 a.m.┬аon Sept. 11, when all communication came to a halt, Beauchamp said.
Text confession
At 9 a.m. on Sept. 11, Ibey┬аtexted his father and confessed to killing his housemate earlier that night, Beauchamp told the jury.
Just before that┬аtext, Ibey┬аhad searched online about the lengths of sentences┬аfor murder and first-degree murder.
Ibey’s┬аfather and brother were the ones who called 911┬аand are expected to testify for the prosecution, Beauchamp said.
Police found blood at the entrance to Pikuyak’s door┬аand a bloodied piece of wood on the floor.┬аPikuyak was found┬аnaked on her bed, gagged with a sweater and bloodied from multiple gashes on her head.
She had also suffered defensive wounds, Beauchamp said, and DNA evidence┬аforms┬аpart of the case.
Struggled┬аto find accommodation
Savanna Pikuyak’s older sister┬аGeneva Pikuyak┬аwas the Crown’s first witness Wednesday.
“We were the best of friends. I would say we were the closest siblings in probably all of Sanirajak,” Geneva Pikuyak testified under questioning by assistant Crown Michael┬аPurcell. Sanirajak is their hometown in Nunavut.
She recalled being sad that her sister was moving to Ottawa┬аbecause they were finally living together without their parents. But she was happy for her, too.
Before Savanna Pikuyak moved from Sanirajak┬аto Ottawa to attend pre-nursing courses, she was having trouble finding somewhere to live, Geneva Pikuyak testified. She hadn’t made it into Algonquin College’s┬аdorm, her smartphone’s internet connection wasn’t working, and when she could get online, it┬аwas hard to find somewhere to rent close to the college, Geneva Pikuyak said.
On Sept. 2, Savanna Pikuyak┬аanswered an ad she found on Facebook┬аto rent a room in a three-bedroom┬аrow home┬аon Woodvale Green in Ottawa, the Crown┬аtold the jury.
Ibey’s brother had bought the home the previous month. He offered Ibey┬аthe basement┬аroom there, and had put him in charge of finding other tenants and collecting rent, the Crown said.┬а
Under cross-examination by Lyttle,┬аGeneva Pikuyak testified that the arrangements for her sister’s living situation came together at the last minute, that┬аshe wasn’t aware her sister took medication, and that when the sisters spoke after the move,┬аSavanna Pikuyak┬аsaid she was feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Geneva Pikuyak┬аalso testified that her sister was outgoing, extroverted, an overachiever, and liked to joke around a lot.
Set aside any bias, judge tells jury
Before the Crown’s brief summary of the evidence and Geneva Pikuyak’s testimony, Justice Robert Maranger told the jury to keep an open mind, put┬аaside any┬аconscious or unconscious bias they may have when hearing the case, and┬аavoid stereotypes.
“Indigenous people in Canada, in particular Indigenous women and girls, have been subject to a long history of colonization and systemic racism, the effects of which continue to be felt,” he said.
Maranger added that there are unfounded myths and stereotypes about sexual assault victims, too.┬аHe cautioned jurors not to make assumptions about sexual assault, what kind of people may or may not be victims of sexual assault, or what kind of people may or may not commit┬аsexual assault.
The trial continues.
