Vancouver Sun

The standoff continued Wednesday between the lawyer for accused serial killer Robert (Willy) Pickton and the attorney-general's ministry over government financing for Pickton's defence.

Robert (Willy) Pickton has been charged with killing 15 of 63 women who have disappeared from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside in recent years. (CP)

Peter Ritchie announced this week he has quit the criminal case because the government has so far refused to help fund the defence.

Pickton has been charged with killing 15 of 63 women who have disappeared from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside in recent years.

But Ritchie is still representing Pickton in an application to B.C. Supreme Court to get legal assistance for his lawyers, though the court registry said Wednesday no date has been fixed yet.

Attorney-General Geoff Plant said earlier that he will consider Pickton's funding request, but only after detailed financial information about his assets has been provided to the government.

A preliminary hearing in the case is still scheduled to go ahead on Nov. 4.

Ernie Crey, whose sister Dawn is among the missing women, said he hopes Ritchie and the attorney-general "stop the political theatre" and resolve the funding problem so the rapidly approaching hearing can go ahead.

"What everyone is looking for is the certainty that the bloody thing is going to get off the ground," Crey said. "It is actually a little bit cruel that they are duelling in the media."