De Grood would have killed more: doctor
CA LGARY •A psychologist who examined Matthew de Grood after he killed five people was told that if there had been more people present, the death count would have been higher, he testified Thursday.
Dr. Andrew Haag said he questioned de Grood about his five victims, after the admitted killer was sent to Alberta Hospital in Edmonton for a mental-health assessment.
“I asked, ‘what would you have done if there were more people in the room?’ ” Haag told de Grood’s Calgary Court of Queen’s Bench quintuple murder trial.
“His reply to me was, ‘they would’ve been killed as well,’ ” the psychologist said.
“Did you consider the possibility he was waiting for the time when there were the least amount of people there and he didn’t want to kill his friends?” asked Crown prosecutor Stephanie Brown.
“I did consider that as well,” Haag said.
“His response was, ‘unfortunately, they would have been terminated as well,’ ” the doctor said.
Haag was the final witness in de Grood’s trial for the April 15, 2014, slayings of five young adults at a Brentwood home where post-secondary students were celebrating the end of the school year.
He’s charged with first-de- gree murder in the stabbing deaths of Jordan Segura, Lawrence Hong, Kaitlin Perras, Joshua Hunter and Zackariah Rathwell.
De Grood, 24, told doctors he killed Rathwell in the kitchen before attacking the other four, who were in the living room.
A sixth partygoer had gone to bed and wasn’t assaulted.
Haag, along with two psychiatrists at the Alberta Hospital, were asked to do an independent assessment of the Calgary man after his arrest in the killings.
All three came to the same conclusion — that de Grood was suffering a psychotic episode when he killed his victims.
Haag told defence lawyer Allan Fay his client was likely suffering from schizo- phrenia and was experiencing multiple delusions at the time.
“Mr. de Grood was having many delusional symptoms,” Haag said.
“This would have had a profound impact on how he perceived reality.”
Fay and lead Crown prosecutor Neil Wiberg will present final arguments on Tuesday.
Outside court, Fay said he was pleased at how the case unfolded.
“I’m happy with the way the evidence came out, I think the experts who testified certainly support my position that my client was not criminally responsible at the time these events occurred,” he said.
“I personally think the evidence is overwhelming.”
Fay said if de Grood is found not criminally responsible, he will be housed in a secure mental hospital for “months, years, maybe for the rest of his life, one never knows.”
While not revealing what his submissions will be, Wiberg — who didn’t call any evidence to rebut the findings of the experts — said it was necessary for Justice Erik Macklin to hear what happened — and why.
“The opinions are the same, but the important thing is for the truth to come out,” he said.