A Calgary man deemed not criminally responsible for stabbing five people to death at a house party is seeking more freedoms.
His treating psychiatrist, Dr. Sergio Santana, said Matthew de Grood remains a low level to reoffend and is ready for relaxed rules to make it easier for de Grood to visit his sister in British Columbia.
The argument was made at an annual hearing before Alberta’s Criminal Code Review Board on de Grood’s progress and whether additional freedoms would be warranted.
“We can only recommend,” Santana told the board Wednesday.
“It is up to the board to agree whether they agree or not, but certainly last year we thought he was ready for more privileges.”
Matthew de Grood, seen here being loaded into an ambulance on April 15, 2014, was found not criminally responsible in the stabbing deaths of five people at a Calgary house party.
Global News
Some of the relaxed rules recommended by de Grood’s treatment team include the ability to travel to western Canada or Ontario for up to two weeks at a time and to live at home with his parents in order to help take care of his ailing father and provide some financial relief.
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Court heard de Grood faced a housing crisis since his last review, when his landlord cancelled his lease after finding out “who he is,” according to his treatment team.
The team says he’s also tried to get a work placement or find a part-time job, but has been unsuccessful.
Santana said de Grood continues to suffer from PTSD and the effect his actions had on his own family and those of his victims.
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“It’s not just the guilt but it’s also the shame that comes with it. We know that bodes well,” Santana said.
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“People who feel guilt and shame and remorse, they want to change. That always bodes well for their recovery.”
Court heard statements in support of de Grood from his family — as well as several impact statements from the families of the victims.
Gregg Parras, father of Kaiti Parras, says it’s the 11th time he’s written a statement like that.
“There’s anxiety every year, because we don’t know what’s going to be presented at the board hearing. We have no idea what his medical situation is. We don’t know what his living situation is, so it’s always surprise as we hear.”
Patty Segura, mother of Jordan Segura, attended the hearing, but didn’t write a victim impact statement this time.
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“I’m just done… I can’t write, I can’t pour my heart into any more victim impact statements just to have it redacted. I just can’t do it anymore.”
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Segura, speaking to Global News during a break in the hearing, said the family continues to cherish Jordan’s memory knowing he should be there with them.
“He has one niece and two nephews and he’s not around for them to call him Uncle Jordan. They still talk about Uncle Jordan, we still celebrate his birthday… they’ll come over here and they will blow out the candles, but Uncle Jordan’s just not here.”
Parras says he was relieved to hear the treatment team isn’t recommending a conditional discharge — something the Crown also opposed.
“That means that they want to keep an eye on him… and most importantly it means that should something go wrong, should he devolve, should he have symptoms, that they can bring him back automatically without his consent.
“If he gets to a conditional discharge at this point, he has to agree to come back, but he may not have the insight if his schizophrenia has reappeared.”
De Grood’s team has been pressing for more freedoms.
In September, Alberta’s Court of Appeal rejected their bid for a conditional discharge for de Grood or, at the very least, a relaxation of rules surrounding his supervision in group homes.
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He was charged with murder in the 2014 deaths but found not criminally responsible as he was mentally ill at the time.
Parents worry the justice system will forget their children and the bright future that was ahead of them — never to be realized.
“All the things in (Kaiti’s) life that she’s missing out on… all of her siblings’ marriages, she has nephews that she never met, she never got married,” Parras said.
“She’s missed out and all of that stuff, and what should that amount to?”
“(Jordan) was super, super dedicated to his education,” Segura explained. “He kind of stuck up for other people. He was a good guy.”
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Matthew de Grood found not criminally responsible in Calgary’s worst mass murder
Court heard that in the early hours of April 15, 2014, during a party described as laid back and relaxed, de Grood went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, then quickly and without provocation stabbed Zackariah Rathwell, Jordan Segura, Kaiti Perras, Josh Hunter and Lawrence Hong before fleeing. He was 22 years old at that time.
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The trial heard de Grood, suffering from schizophrenia at the time, believed he was attacking Medusas and werewolves for the son of God.
“The expert evidence was unanimous that the appellant had suffered a psychotic episode, had lost touch with reality and did not appreciate that his behaviour was morally wrong,” said the Appeal Court decision in September.
The hearing concluded late Wednesday afternoon. The Criminal Code Review Board will deliberate before issuing a written decision in the near future.
- with files from The Canadian Press
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