Calgary man charged in death of his mother ordered to stand trial for second-degree murder

There is sufficient evidence for a jury to weigh in the alleged killing of a Calgary woman at the hands of her adult son, a judge ruled Wednesday in ordering him to stand trial for murder.

Justice Greg Stirling committed Alex (Axin) Xu to face a Calgary Court of King's Bench jury on a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the death of his mother at the conclusion of a three-day preliminary inquiry.

Xu, 21, was arrested last June 30, in connection with the death of Alice (Jingying) Al, 56.

Crown prosecutors Vicki Faulkner and Paul Marcellus called just three witnesses before closing their case Tuesday morning.

But in a rare move defence lawyers Clayton Rice and Heather Ferg called three witnesses of their own Wednesday before conceding there was sufficient evidence for Stirling to order their client to trial.

The test for committal is a very low one and judges hearing preliminary hearings can't weigh the strength or weakness of the evidence.

At the beginning of proceedings on Monday, Stirling ordered a publication ban on the evidence presented before him.

Xu was arrested shortly after police attended the 1400 block of 29 Avenue N.W. around 3:30 a.m. the morning of June 30, 2023.

When officers arrived they located the body of Al.

Shortly after his arrest Xu — at the request of psychiatrist Dr. Ken Hashman, who expressed concerns about the accused's mental health — was sent for an assessment at the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre.

“A letter has been received from Dr. Hashman indicating he would like a 30-day fitness assessment (on Xu),” Faulkner told Justice Karen Molle during Xu's first appearance in court last July 4.

The assessment determined he was fit to stand trial.

Xu, who remains in custody, will appear in Calgary Court of King's Bench on May 24 for the purpose of scheduling his trial.