There are five families of the five young people who were stabbed dead in Calgary this week who are banding together as one to help each other get through this very sad time. They hope it will assist them through the grieving process especially at a time when it is so raw.

This week the police down in Calgary together with the families have pleaded with the media and the public to respect the privacy and the difficulty they must be experiencing right now. The main message here is to respect their space and treat the situation with dignity and respect. They really do need the time and space to be able to send off their loved children.

Through out the week there is expected to be a series of funerals as well as visits leading up to the funeral proceedings as well. These processions will be a relaxed, quiet affair down at one of the local primary aged schools in the area. The location is down at north western Calgary. They will commence on Saturday and keep on going over the proceedings of the following week to come.
Who is Matthew De Grood the alleged killer?

It is said that the young boy who stabbed the teens goes by the name of dr Grood. He is alleged and is going to appear before a jury for allegedly stabbing them to death. To add to the tragedy of the event, he is the son of a local police officer who is well respeced as well. Not too long after the killings had taken place, De Grood was charged by police for 5 separate instances of murder in the first degree.

The families of the victims are thankful to local people of Calgary for their kind words
During the week the families gave a public statement together. In it they were very thankful to the people of the local town there who have been very supportive in sending many kind words of condolence for the tragedy. There have also been a whole variety of funds, scholar ships and bursary collecions set up to support them too. In their statement they acknowledged the great support they were feeling within the community around them. They also requested some space and time to grieve too.
What of the accused?

De Grood is currently being held at a psychological hospital in a locked and secure situation. Although an assessment of his mental state has not yet taken place it has been scheduled to occur soon. The prosecution has been clear that it is to take place as soon as is practicable for the proceedings to get under way. He is actually meant to appear before the court next coming Tuesday.
Leading up to the stabbings there were a bunch of sms text messaging going on from the accused phone. His mother seemed to be in a distressed state in one of her messages as well.
De Grood known to the party by some

Cops have recently come out in statements as saying that the accused was known to a few and one in particular at the party who was actually a family friend of De Grood. However, not many others at the events seemed to know who he was. The person with whom he was connected had been known to him for a very long long time.

According to the police, he had taken an ‘instrument’ or a knife from his work at Safeway to the party. He actually had this thing with him while the party was going on. however, people who know a fair bit about the case say that he obtained the main weapon he used from inside the home. To date, unfortunately, there are just so many unanswered questions surrounding this brutal and tragic event.
Some of the individuals close to the investigative side of the issue have come out as saying that he was actually invited to the party. Further to this, no one including himself had previously been known to the police at all.

Another issue affecting the proceedings and equally as sad and tragic is that the accused’s father is actually a high ranking officer in the local police force in the city. Given this, an outside panel has been brought in from near by Edmonton to deal with the prosecution. It’s hoped that this will encourage a fair investigation and trial.