The young man found not criminally responsible (NCR) in Calgary’s worst mass murder is appearing at his first review board hearing Tuesday.
Matthew de Grood will appear before the Alberta Review Board (ARB) at the Calgary Courts Centre in a hearing expected to last two days.
Criminal defence lawyer Maureen McConaghy has represented clients at dozens of ARB hearings.
“The board has to weigh—the primary consideration—is the threat to the safety of the community. Included in that is how best to have this person treated in a rehabilitative fashion to eventually be integrated back into society, hopefully,” McConaghy explained.
“The Alberta Review Board is a board composed of a chairperson, a psychiatrist, a mental health professional, a member of the public and usually a lawyer, and they are mandated to review these kinds of cases,” McConaghy continued.
According to McConaghy, the ARB has three options: to order de Grood be sent for treatment at a secure psychiatric facility, a conditional discharge, or an absolute discharge.
Watch below: Global’s ongoing coverage of the trial of Matthew de Grood
In May, Queen’s Bench Justice Eric Macklin found de Grood NCR in the killings of Lawrence Hong, Josh Hunter, Kaiti Perras, Zackariah Rathwell and Jordan Segura. The five young people were stabbed to death at a house party in Brentwood on April 15, 2014.
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Global News has been told family members of the five victims will present victim impact statements at the hearing.
On Monday, Gregg Perras, the father of Katie Perras, sent this statement to Global News:
“All of the families are still struggling with the outcome of the trial and the setback mentally that it has created. We have barely had a chance to breath and we are honestly struggling to find the energy to face this subject again so soon. We don’t really know what to expect Tuesday, but we do understand that this is a very important process. The families do have a common goal to keep him locked up for the rest of his life, if possible. We will likely have more to say…once we find out how the proceedings are headed.”
Watch below: The families of the five young adults killed at a Brentwood house party in 2014 released a joint public statement on Wednesday following the conclusion of Matthew de Grood’s murder trial. Victim Lawrence Hong’s brother Miles read the statement outside the Calgary Courts Centre.
READ MORE: Remembering the Brentwood 5
The finding of “NCR” means de Grood was mentally ill at the time of the fatal stabbings and wasn’t able to understand his actions were morally wrong.
Since the trial, de Grood has been held at the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre. It will be up to the Alberta Review Board to decide what happens to him next.
According to Alberta Justice, doctors will present a risk assessment of de Grood along with an update on his current condition. All of those details will be taken into consideration for a possible “high-risk” NCR designation.
READ MORE: What a high-risk NCR designation could mean for Matthew de Grood
Crown prosecutor Neil Wiberg has said he is considering applying for the designation given this is “the most serious crime anyone can commit.”
With a high-risk NCR designation, de Grood’s hearings would likely occur every three years instead of annually, Wiberg said.
A high-risk NCR hearing would be held after the first review is completed.
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