De Grood found not criminally responsible in stabbing rampage

Matthew de Grood, the man charged with first-degree murder after killing five people in a stabbing rampage during a 2014 house party, has been found not criminally responsible.

Justice Eric Macklin, the Edmonton judge brought in to oversee the case, delivered the verdict Wednesday morning.

The verdict means that instead of being sent to prison, de Grood will be kept in a psychiatric hospital. Crown lawyer Neil Wiberg says they are considering applying the label of high-risk offender to de Grood, but have not yet started an application to do so.

The 24-year-old son of a police officer admits he killed five people at a Calgary house party on April 15, 2014.

But both the defence and the Crown agree he was suffering from a mental disorder at the time.

The trial heard de Grood became withdrawn about a month before the attack and started posting about the end of the world, religion, vampires and Darth Vader on Facebook.

Three medical experts agreed de Grood was not in the right state of mind during the murders, and told the court throughout the trial that despite de Grood’s background in psychology, they did not believe he was faking his symptoms.

De Grood’s defence lawyer Allan Fay read a prepared response from the accused once the verdict was released.

In it, de Grood took full responsibility for his actions.

“I take responsibility for these deaths and I acknowledge the suffering it has caused – the victims never deserved to die. I know my actions have caused irreparable harm. I feel the sorry I have caused and will carry it the rest of my life,” the statement read. “I am sorry from the bottom of the heart – I will take responsibility for my illness and follow doctors orders the rest of my life. I’m not asking for your forgiveness but I truly hope you know I’m sorry for what I’ve done.”

Macklin shared a message with the families following the verdict, saying they showed dignity and courage throughout the court proceedings. He also wished the de Grood family good luck.

Killed in the attack were Kaitlin Perras, Lawrence Hong, Josh Hunter, Zackariah Rathwell and Jordan Segura.

Their families released a joint statement:

“First of all, we would like to express our immense gratitude to Justice Macklin for allowing the five tributes to our wonderful loved ones within the court.

Our goal at the beginning of the trial was that the spotlight be put on those we lost; that continues to be our goal now and into the future.

We ask that everyone remember the names: Zackariah Rathwell, Jordan Segura, Kaiti Perras, Lawrence Hong and Josh Hunter.

We can all cherish their legacy by reminiscing moments together, living out their values and supporting others through the scholarships and foundations created in their memory. Those are the individuals who should be remembered. Those are the lives that were lost, and no matter what: Kaiti, Jordan, Josh, Zack and Lawrence are still gone and our families will never be whole again.

The end of this trial is not the end of this journey for us, we continue to be broken. The finding of NCR will be a recurring nightmare for our families. In this system Matthew de Grood will meet with a Mental Health Review Board every year to determine if he will be granted concessions.

There will be no peace for us; our wounds never fully heal because every year our families will have to wonder, what will be the fate of the man who damaged so many lives. Every year we will be forced to relive details of our family’s deaths, the anguish and sorrow. We ask that fellow Canadians become informed about the justice system, the designation “Not Criminally Responsible” and its implications.

A possible reprieve for our families is the designation of a High Risk NCR, a new law that among other changes would allow a review board to decide to assess an extremely dangerous offender every three years. The five families would support the prosecution in seeking the designation of High Risk NCR, which would give gravitas to the fact Matthew de Grood killed five people and support the system in ensuring that he is not a threat to the public.

Every year that Matthew de Grood is reviewed we hope that our community will value the lives of Josh, Zack, Jordan, Kaiti and Lawrence and do what they can to support the five lives that de Grood ended.

A lot of discussion around these murders and trial are painful to think about and at times get away from the core of it. That five lives were taken away and countless others devastated by the actions of one person.
Unfortunately, no matter what the outcome is, or could have been, our loved ones Lawrence, Zack, Josh, Jordan and Kaiti are gone – and there is no changing that.

Those five young bright people will only smile in our memories, we can only hug them in our dreams, and every moment good or bad will be spent wishing they could share it with us. Their lives, our lives, their friends and the futures for all of us affected are forever changed.

Thank you for your attention.”