Former sex worker recounts awkward encounter with killer

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Before killing and allegedly sexually assaulting his new housemate, Nicholas Ibey spent eight hours searching the Internet for local sex workers, jurors heard this week at Ibey’s first-degree murder trial.

Ottawa police recovered data from Ebay’s cell phone following his arrest on September 11, 2022, detailing an extensive “escort” search that began around 7 p.m. the night before and continued until 3 a.m.

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At 9 a.m., after a six-hour lull in activity, eBay’s Google search changed to: “How long is jail time for murder?”

Ibay, 35, admitted to killing Savannah Pikuyak, 22, who had just moved into the apartment at 34C Woodvale Green after leaving her home in Nunavut to continue her nursing studies at Algonquin College.

Ibay, represented by lawyers Ewen Little and Maggie McCann, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder at the start of his trial on November 12, but that plea was rejected by the Crown. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.

Crown attorneys Michael Purcell and Sonia Beauchamp presented the jury with a mountain of evidence recovered from laptops and mobile phones seized at the crime scene, including Ibi’s Samsung Galaxy phone.

According to an affidavit from Ottawa police, eBay conducted 167 searches for nine different keywords during that eight-hour period, made 800 visits to 160 different sex sites, and participated in 53 “sex chat” conversations, exchanging 965 messages with sex workers that night. . Crime Intelligence Analyst Alison Yaraskovic.

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That night, he contacted several sex workers, sent wire transfers as collateral for several failed encounters, and booked the services of one sex worker, who showed up at his apartment around 1 a.m.

The woman, whose identity is under a publication ban, recounted the awkward encounter on Friday, saying Ebay, completely naked and sitting on his bed in the ground-floor apartment, was unable to maintain an erection and soon broke off the engagement.

He paid her in full and sent her home, the woman testified, although eBay later complained in a text message that he should have only paid her half the amount for the minimum half-hour appointment.

“He was very embarrassed about it,” the woman testified. “He said he couldn’t get an erection because of the drugs. He said he didn’t think that would happen and said I could leave.”

She noticed about six lines of cocaine on Ebay’s dresser and said he was drinking beer and snorting cocaine during the 15 minutes she was there.

During the woman’s testimony, Ibey sat hunched over in the prisoner’s cell, occasionally resting his forehead on his hands. The woman is no longer involved in the sex trade, she told the court.

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According to his text message chronology and search history, Ebay communicated with other sex workers before and after the failed encounter that night.

He sent a deposit to another sex worker at around 10.30pm on September 10 but was told she was only accepting “calls tonight”.

Ebay complained that he was “really high” and too drunk to go to her house, and wrote back: “Thanks for making me tense.”

Around 2am he sent another deposit to another sex worker, which also upset Ebay after she demanded more money up front and then cut off contact.

Superior Court Judge Robert Maranger cautioned jurors about graphic X-rated language in the evidence and cautioned against concluding that Ibay’s conduct “could be considered defamatory conduct or evidence of ‘bad character'” against him.

“The evidence is presented for the specific purpose of showing the state of mind of the accused leading to the death of Savannah Pikuyak and as evidence of a possible motive suggested by the Crown,” Maranger said.

“It cannot be used as evidence that because (Ibay) behaves in this manner, he is more likely to have committed the crime charged or that he is the type of person who commits a crime because of this behavior.”

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After his last attempt to find a sex worker was rejected that night, eBay turned its attention to pornography sites, according to his search history. He ended his search for an escort at 2:59 am.

According to the Crown’s version of the case, Ibey raped, beat and strangled Pikuyak to death between 3 and 9 a.m. on Sept. 11.

He logged back into his phone at 9:03 a.m. and searched for “the difference between first-degree murder, second-degree murder and manslaughter.”

He also reviewed the Criminal Code of Canada and looked at a 2016 Ottawa Citizen article and photo gallery about the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, entitled “Take a Tour of Ottawa’s Notorious Jail.”

At 9:35 a.m. he texted his father, James Iby, saying “hi.” He then went back to looking for information on “first degree murder convictions.” He then searched for “Kingston Jail.”

He confessed to the murder in another message to his father at 9:56 a.m.

“I have big, big problems,” he wrote. “Last night I got drunk on alcohol and drugs and killed my roommate.”

The trial continues.

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