Accused in Calgary stabbings in court
CALGARY The father of a young man stabbed to death at a house party says his boy was the poster child for the kind of son every parent wants.
Bruce Rathwell told mourners at his son Zackariah’s funeral Tuesday that the young man was athletic, loved music and spent years as a Boy Scout.
A display at the front of the Calgary chapel was a testament to the 21-year-old’s interests and accomplishments. It included three guitars, a Boy Scouts uniform, rugby jersey, hockey equipment and skates.
Zackariah Rathwell was stabbed to death along with four others last week at a get-together to celebrate the end of classes.
Another partygoer, 22-year-old Matthew de Grood, is charged with five counts of first-degree murder. He appeared in court Tuesday and was ordered to undergo a 30day assessment to determine whether he is mentally fit to stand trial.
Rathwell’s mother also spoke at his funeral.
“As long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be,” she said, quoting from the popular children’s book Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.
De Grood, the son of a senior Calgary police officer, could be seen leaning against a wall and occasionally touching his f ace, which had cuts and scrapes from when he was taken down by the canine unit during his arrest.
He only spoke once, replying, “Yes, sir” when Judge Jim Ogle asked if de Grood could see and hear him.
The accused is to return to court May 22. He will continue to be held at the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre, where he’s been since his arrest.
De Grood’s lawyer, Allan Fay, said he’s not ruling out a defence of not criminally responsible.
“I’d be foolish to overlook any possibility, especially in a case that on its face is as bizarre as this,” Fay said outside court. “We’ve never seen anything like it in Calgary, and one can’t help but look at the case and consider what we know so far and how strange this whole thing is.”
He acknowledged it’s going to be a tough case for everyone.
“Any homicide is difficult. A homicide this magnified is going to be very difficult ... not only from a logistical point of view, but just the emotional toll it’s going to take on everybody involved,” Fay said.
“It’s a horrendous case and it’s touched so many lives.”
Rathwell, Jordan Segura, Kaiti Perras, Josh Hunter and Lawrence Hong were all at the party April 15 when they were killed. Three funerals were held Monday for Segura, Perras and Rathwell’s bandmate, Hunter. A service for Hong is scheduled for Wednesday.