The case of Douglas Garland, accused of killing a five-year-old Calgary boy and his grandparents, is back before the courts.
A voir dire (a “trial within a trial”) has begun in order to determine the admissibility of some evidence.
Garland is attending the hearing in person, dressed in a blue prison jumpsuit. He showed no emotion throughout the proceedings Thursday.
He is scheduled to be tried by a jury in January for three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Nathan O’Brien and Kathryn and Alvin Liknes.
The trio vanished from the Liknes home in June 2014, spurring an Amber Alert that lasted for weeks.
TIMELINE: Missing Calgary family Nathan O’Brien, Alvin and Kathryn Liknes
Nathan was having a sleepover at his grandparents’ home following an estate sale at their house.
The case shocked people across Canada and around the world.
Following an investigation, police said a “violent incident” had taken place in the Liknes’ home.
READ MORE: Former home of Alvin and Kathryn Liknes demolished
Garland had several ties to Alvin and Kathy Liknes. Alvin’s son was married to Garland’s sister. Family members confirm Alvin and Garland had a falling out several years earlier over a business deal that ended badly.
Garland lived with his parents on an acreage northeast of Airdrie that was meticulously and repeatedly searched by police during their investigation into the case.
Evidence presented in the voir dire is protected by a publication ban.
Watch below: A home where one of the most heinous crimes in Calgary’s history is alleged to have happened has now been demolished. Nancy Hixt reports in April 2016.
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