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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: 10 a.m. MT Monday at McInnis & Holloway on Centre Street.

Perras: 1 p.m. MT at First Alliance Church in southeast Calgary. (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 do so at any TD branch by referencing the Kaiti Perras Love of Dance Scholarship Fund.)

Hunter: 2 p.m. MT at Christ Church in the southwest.

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.