Matthew Brush will stand trial for the first-degree murder of Cassandra Kaake.

Justice Micheline Rawlins made the decision Friday in a Windsor, Ont., court.

Brush, clothed in a dress shirt and dress pants and with his long hair pulled back in a ponytail, sat silent as Rawlins read her decision. Members of Kaake's family sobbed.

The next court date is set for April 8.

Kaake was found dead at the scene of a house fire on Benjamin Avenue on Dec. 11, 2014. Police determined the fire was intentionally set.

The 31-year-old was seven months pregnant.

A postmortem examination found that Kaake died of blood loss caused by severe trauma.

In February last year, Windsor police arrested Brush, 27, of LaSalle.

Outside the courthouse, Jeff Durham, the father of the unborn baby who was to be named Molly, shared a long hug with Kaake's mother, who cried.

Durham wasn't in the courtroom to hear the decision. He said "every bit is difficult," when it comes to the proceedings.

"It's good that it's going as first degree murder, but it's difficult to find solace because I still feel the charges don't represent Cassie's rights as a woman," Durham said.

Durham has been calling for a change to the Criminal Code since the homicide, and started the Molly Matters campaign as part of that effort. Currently, there is no provision in the Criminal Code, resulting in no recourse for a pregnant woman, or her family, should the violence against a pregnant woman result in injury or death of her and/or her unborn child.

"I know it's weird to say, but I'm thinking about my daughter, Molly, and I'm thinking about what Cassie would want," he said when asked if he's relieved Brush will stand trial for first degree murder.

Members of Kaake's family did not speak to the media Friday.