The Alberta Court of Appeal has upheld a ruling by the Alberta Criminal Code Review Board that denied a request for more freedoms from a Calgary man who was found not criminally responsible for the stabbing deaths of five people during a house party in April 2014.
Matthew de Grood, who was initially sent to a psychiatric facility, is now living in a halfway house in Calgary and is allowed to spend up to two weeks at a time with his parents who also live in the city.
However, his lawyer, Jacqueline Petrie, recently asked the Alberta Court of Appeal to overturn the Board’s decision and grant de Grood a conditional discharge, which could allow him to live permanently with his parents.
Petrie described de Grood as a low risk to the public and said his medical team doesn’t think he’s dangerous.
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Matthew de Grood was charged with fatally stabbing five people during a house party in Calgary in April 2014, but he was found to be not criminally responsible because he suffered from a mental disorder.
Global News
On Friday, the Court of Appeal of Alberta dismissed the appeal.
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It pointed to testimony from a psychiatrist that said allowing de Grood to transition to more independent living conditions, in a potentially hostile community, might cause him to “become overwhelmed by stress,” which could cause a relapse and increase his risk of violence and potential for physical harm.
In dismissing de Grood’s request, the Appeal Court also cited part of the Review Board’s ruling, stating the “paramount consideration” must be the safety of the public.
Matthew de Grood was found not criminally responsible in the stabbing deaths of five people during a house party in Calgary in April 2014.
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The original trial judge found de Grood, who was 22 at the time, was “not criminally responsible” (NCR) because he was suffering from schizophrenia and experiencing a psychotic episode when he fatally stabbed Lawrence Hong, Joshua Hunter, Kaitlan Perras, Zackariah Rathwell, and Jordan Segura, during what came to be known as the “Brentwood Five massacre.”
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De Grood has appeared annually before the Alberta Review Board to ask for more freedoms.
But the families of his victims have opposed an absolute discharge, because de Grood would no longer have to follow any treatment or check-in protocol.
His next hearing before the Alberta Criminal Code Review Board is scheduled for Nov. 12 and 13.
— with files from The Canadian Press.
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