First-degree murder: Nikolas Ibey found guilty in 2022 ‘monstrous’ death of Savanna Pikuyak

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Jurors needed only three hours of deliberations on Tuesday before finding Nikolas Ibey guilty of first-degree murder in the Sept. 11, 2022, killing of Savanna Pikuyak.

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Pikuyak, a 22-year-old nursing student, had recently rented a room from Ibey at the townhouse at 34 Woodvale Green after moving from her home in Sanirajak, Nunavut, to pursue her studies at Algonquin College.

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She was remembered as a “quiet, funny and very creative” woman Tuesday as her family and members of her small Nunavut community filed victim-impact statements following the guilty verdict.

“We were taught to forgive. In my heart, I want to find forgiveness for murdering (Savanna),” said her mother, Sheba Pikuyak.

“The tragic murder of Savanna has had a profound impact on our community of Sanirajak,” read a statement attributed to the community of 900 in the Arctic Circle.

“Her untimely death has shaken our community, bringing to light the dangers that exist outside our town and emotionally impacting all of us within it. For the students, especially, this has created a climate of fear and insecurity. The feeling of safety for students to thrive and focus on their studies has been shattered.”

The community statement referenced the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada, where Indigenous women are victims of homicide at a rate nearly 12 times higher than that of non-Indigenous women.

“As a community we are asking for justice for Savanna. We are asking that our community sees that justice has been done … We are asking for greater support systems for Indigenous students who venture outside of their communities, including safe, regulated housing, cultural support and mentorship, which can help reduce the emotional and physical risk associated with living in larger cities while maintaining a connection to their culture and community,” the statement continued.

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“Our sense of security has been deeply impacted. We are asking for justice for Savanna.”

Superior Court Justice Robert Maranger imposed the mandatory life sentence on Ibey with no chance of parole for 25 years.

“This was a monstrous, inexcusable crime,” the veteran judge said. “It was a tragic loss on so many levels. It will leave a deep emotional scar that will never completely heal, only to be left with memories of her beautiful spirit.”

Ibey, 35, had already admitted to killing Pikuyak and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder at the outset of his trial on Nov. 12, but the Crown prosecutors rejected that plea.

His defence lawyer, Ewan Lyttle, told the jury that Ibey admitted to the murder and took responsibility two years ago when he texted his father on Sept. 11, 2022, and confessed to killing Pikuyak.

Crown prosecutors Michael Purcell and Sonia Beauchamp presented “ample” evidence that Ibey sexually assaulted Pikuyak before killing her, a factor that “elevates” the crime to first-degree murder.

During closing arguments on Monday, prosecutors showed the jury graphic crime scene photos of Pikuyak’s half-naked, beaten body as she was found lying face-down on a mattress in her rented bedroom.

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“The pictures tell all,” Beauchamp told the jury, as she outlined the evidence pointing to an “undeniable” sexual assault.

There were drops of blood on the carpet at the entrance to Pikuyak’s bedroom, where, according to the Crown, Ibey attacked Pikuyak with a piece of wood that was later found spattered with the victim’s blood.

There were pools of blood on the carpet showing “the attack continued while she lay there” as Ibey forcibly confined her, Beauchamp said.

Ibey struck Pikuyak in the arms, face and head “over and over again” with the piece of wood Beauchamp said, and Pikuyak had defensive injuries from trying to fight back.

Prosecutors pointed to the positioning of the victim’s body, lying face-down, legs spread apart and naked from the waist down, her underwear and pants around her ankle. Her shirt and bra were lifted up over her chest and twisted together. She was gagged and strangled with a knotted sweater.

“She died suffocated and strangled,” Beauchamp said, and there was “ample evidence” of both forcible confinement and sexual assault.

No male DNA was found in a post-mortem examination of the victim’s genitals, but Ibey’s DNA was found on Pikuyak’s left and right breast.

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“When you use common sense, and when you look at the pictures, the only reasonable conclusion is that there was a sexual assault,” Beauchamp said. “It is clear that (Ibey) entered that room with one purpose in mind, the same purpose he had been chasing all night.”

Prosecutors alleged Ibey sexually assaulted and strangled Pikuyak after he was left sexually frustrated by an hours-long search for a sex worker earlier in the night. The Crown presented a volume of text messages, sex chats and internet searches for “escorts” that began around 7 p.m. the night before the killing and ended around 3 a.m. on Sept. 11.

“There is no reason, other than a sexual assault, to beat her, confine her, bind her, gag her, lift up her shirt and take off her pants,” Beauchamp said.

Beauchamp said the act of removing PIkuyak’s clothing was enough to constitute a sexual assault, even if the attack went no further.

“This was a sexual killing,” Beauchamp told the jury. “This was, and is, first-degree murder.”

The jury was not aware that Ibey already had a criminal record and was on probation at the time he murdered Pikuyak.

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According to his court record, Ibey was convicted and sentenced in January 2022 for assaulting a former girlfriend, breaking and entering, uttering threats and failing to comply with his release order.

His former girlfriend spoke to the Ottawa Citizen after Pikuyak’s murder and said she had feared for her life when Ibey was released from jail.

“This is how women end up dead,” she said at the time.

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