Calgary mass murderer Matthew de Grood granted more freedom

Undated photographs of Matthew de Grood, the man who was found not criminally responsible after killing five young people in northwest Calgary in April 2014

The Alberta Review Board has granted additional freedoms for Matthew de Grood, the young man responsible for stabbing five people to death inside a Brentwood home in 2014.

The board said, in a written decision, that de Grood’s schizophrenia and depression are under control and he possesses a ‘very positive’ relationship with his treatment team in Calgary.

As a result, he will be allowed to walk the grounds of the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre under the supervision of two staff members.

But he is still considered a ‘significant’ threat to the public and will not be released just yet.

De Grood was found not criminally responsible for killing Zackariah Rathwell, 21; Jordan Segura, 22; Josh Hunter, 23; Kaitlin Perras, 23; and Lawrence Hong, 27; at a house party in Brentwood on April 15, 2014.

At the beginning of the board hearings on April 6, the families of the victims released a joint statement saying that they see no reason that de Grood should ever be conditionally released from a secure facility.