Matthew de Grood to stand trial in fatal Calgary stabbings
23-year-old faces 5 charges of 1st-degree murder in Calgary's 'worst mass murder'
Matthew de Grood, the man accused of stabbing five people to death at a Calgary house party, has been committed to stand trial on five counts of first-degree murder.
The 23-year-old was arrested a short distance from the party last April and has been held in custody since. He was ordered to stand trial following a preliminary hearing that ended Friday morning.
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Lawrence Hong, 27, Joshua Hunter, 23, Kaitlin Perras, 23, Zackariah Rathwell, 21, and Jordan Segura, 22, were killed in the attack that shocked the city. They had been celebrating the end of university classes when the stabbings occurred.
"This is the worst mass murder in Calgary's history," Calgary police Chief Rick Hanson told reporters last year.
De Grood was an invited guest at the house party in Brentwood, which is located near the University of Calgary.
The courtroom was filled to standing room only as friends and family members of the victims, as well as the parents of the accused, heard provincial court Judge J.D. Holmes announce his decision.
With the preliminary hearing complete, the case now moves to the Court of Queen’s Bench where a date for a trial will be scheduled at a hearing on May 29.
A publication ban covers all evidence presented at the preliminary hearing.
An early mental health assessment found de Grood fit to stand trial, meaning he understands the legal process.
He also underwent at least two subsequent psychiatric assessments that examined whether he could be found not criminally responsible.
The doctors' findings are covered by the publication ban.