WATCH: A date has been set for the trial of Matthew De Grood, the young man accused of murdering five people at a house party in Brentwood last year. Nancy Hixt reports.
CALGARY – The man accused in Calgary’s worst mass murder will stand trial starting May 16, 2016 – the date set Friday by a Court of Queen’s Bench judge.
A judge from outside Calgary will preside over the trial of Matthew de Grood, at the request of his lawyer, as de Grood’s father is a veteran police officer.
“Because this matter involves the son of a Calgary Police Service member, we want to make sure there’s no appearance of bias by having a local judge who might know his father,” said defence lawyer Allan Fay outside of court.
De Grood, 23, is charged with five counts of first-degree murder after a violent stabbing spree at a house party in Brentwood on Tuesday, April 15, 2014.
Zackariah Rathwell, 21, Jordan Segura, 22, Josh Hunter, 23, Kaitlin Perras, 23, and Lawrence Hong, 27, were celebrating the end of the school year when they were killed.
De Grood appeared in court briefly on Friday, wearing a suit and tie. His parents were also at the arraignment, and Fay said they are “looking forward to this moving forward.”
Family members of the five victims were also at court; Crown prosecutor Neil Wiberg said they were pleased a trial date had been set.
“The unique factor of course is there are five homicides and it’s troubling in the way and manner in which it happened,” said Wiberg. “And of course the outstanding character of the five victims here, everyone’s hearts broken… and the fact they were murdered at such a young age.”
De Grood has been receiving treatment at the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre since his arrest, and he’s expected to remain there until the trial.
Fay says whether or not de Grood should be held criminally responsible will be an issue at trial.
The trial is expected to last two weeks.
READ MORE: University of Calgary honours Brentwood victims with ceremony, festival
De Grood was ordered to stand trial in March by a Provincial Court Judge who determined there was enough evidence presented during de Grood’s preliminary hearing for them to proceed.
He had already been found fit to stand trial through a psychiatric review, because he understands the charges against him and is able to instruct counsel.
At the time, de Grood’s lawyer Allan Fay explained “you can still be very profoundly mentally ill and be fit to stand trial.”
READ MORE: Timeline of the Brentwood stabbings
De Grood has been receiving treatment at the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre since his arrest.
With files from Jenna Freeman
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