Calgary stabbings: Funerals for 3 of 5 victims set for Monday
Funeral services have been arranged for three of the five young adults stabbed to death in Calgary earlier this week.
Jordan Segura, Kaitlin Perras and Joshua Hunter will be laid to rest on Monday, nearly a week after what Calgary police Chief police Rick Hanson has called the worst mass killing in the city's history.
It's alleged Matthew de Grood, the son of Calgary police Insp. Douglas de Grood, stabbed the five students at an end-of-year gathering in the northwest community of Brentwood around 1:20 a.m. MT Tuesday before fleeing.
Matthew de Grood was apprehended shortly after by police with help from the K-9 unit, and has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Segura, 22, Perras, 23, Hunter, 23, Lawrence Hong, 27, and Zackariah Rathwell, 21.
Here are the funeral services and other information announced so far:
Segura: A public visitation will be held Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. MT at McInnis & Holloway on Centre Street. His funeral will take place at 10 a.m. MT Monday at the same location. Condolences may be forwarded through the funeral home's website. A tree will be planted at Fish Creek Provincial Park in Segura's memory.
Perras: A public visitation will be held Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. MT at McInnis & Holloway's Park Memorial Chapel. Her funeral will take place at 1 p.m. MT at First Alliance Church in southeast Calgary, and attendees are encouraged to wear colourful attire. (Her family has also set up a memorial scholarship in her name at Counterpoint Dance Marda Loop. They ask that in lieu of flowers, anyone wishing to donate money to the scholarship fund do so at any TD branch by referencing the Kaiti Perras Love of Dance Scholarship Fund.)
Hunter: A public visitation will be held at Foster's Garden Chapel on Saturday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. MT His funeral will take place at 2 p.m. MT at Christ Church in the southwest followed by a gathering at the Priddis Community Hall in Priddis, Alta. Expressions of sympathy may be forwarded to the family via the Fister's Garden Chapel website.
Two of the five victims lived at the house where the killings happened, Calgary police spokesman Kevin Brookwell said on Thursday.
Brookwell said de Grood knew at least one person at the party — a family friend, known by the 22-year-old for a long time.
Police are investigating the text messages de Grood sent and received before the stabbings occurred.
He is currently being held at a secure psychiatric facility.
De Grood's lawyer, Allan Fay, says he is not aware of any mental-health concerns with his client, and that de Grood has not been placed under suicide watch.
A court-ordered psychological assessment has not yet taken place, but Fay says he understands the Crown prosecutor may request one at de Grood's next court appearance on Tuesday.
There have been reports that de Grood's mother had called police before the stabbings happened early Tuesday morning after receiving some worrying text messages, but Fay could not confirm that information.
Because de Grood's father works with the Calgary police force, Crown prosecutors are being brought in from Edmonton to handle the case.
Gregg Lepp of Crown Prosecutor Services says that is to ensure impartiality.
"We would do the same thing if it were the son, or daughter or relative of a prosecutor or a judge or a well-known defence lawyer — things of that sort," Lepp said. "So that's why. Not that there would be a conflict, but just so the public has absolute confidence that there's no personal stake in this whatsoever."
Neil Wiberg and Stephanie Brown have been named as the two prosecutors assigned to the case.
