A friend of Robert William Pickton who was once arrested in connection with the deaths of some of Vancouver's missing women testified Monday that he never killed anyone.

Crown prosecutor Darrell Previtt asked Pat Casanova whether he had killed any women, seen any women being killed or helped anybody dispose of remains on Pickton's farm

Pat Casanova was arrested in 2003, but no charges were laid.
(CBC)

Casanova, who said he spent some weekends on Pickton's farm butchering pigs, answered "no, sir" to all the questions.

Previtt then asked Casanova whether he saw any human remains inside the farm's freezer where he kept his butchered pigs and where some of the women's remains were found.

Again, Casanova responded "no, sir."

Casanova was arrested in January 2003 in connection with the deaths of 15 women — including five of the six women Pickton is charged with killing.

Casanova's arrest came during Pickton's preliminary hearing, a year after Pickton was charged. Cassanova was never charged.

Previtt asked Casanova why he thought he was arrested, but Casanova didn't answer, saying only after repeated questioning that he was arrested and that he had been held in custody for five to six hours.

Butchered pigs

Casanova is a longtime friend of Pickton who regularly butchered pigs at Pickton's farm in suburban Port Coquitlam.

He testified he met Pickton about 20 years ago at the farm, and described himself as a business friend who came to spend most weekends at the property.

He said he bought butchered pigs from the man he called "Willie," and sold pork to customers.

He told the court Pickton handled most of the butchering duties — from killing the animal with a nail gun, stabbing it with a knife and gutting it.

Casanova said that on a typical weekend he and Pickton processed 20 to 25 pigs.

Sought prostitutes

The jury was told last week by Pickton's closest friend, Gina Houston, that Casanova sometimes asked her to bring sex trade workers to the farm for him for intimate relations.

She also testified Casanova was often on the farm alone.

The defence has raised his name repeatedly in suggesting others might have been involved in the killings.

Pickton has been charged in the deaths of Sereena Abotsway, Mona Wilson, Andrea Joesbury, Brenda Wolfe, Marnie Frey and Georgina Papin, all women who disappeared from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside between 1997 and 2001.

He is accused in the deaths of 26 women in total. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Another trial on the 20 other charges will be held later.

The victims were identified by DNA taken from blood or body parts discovered on the farm.