CALGARY -- The families of five young people who were stabbed to death at a party celebrating the end of the school year are asking the media to stand down on its request to have information about the crime released to the public.
Zackariah Rathwell, 21; Lawrence Hong, 27; Joshua Hunter, 23; Jordan Segura, 22; and Kaiti Perras, 23, were killed at a party near the University of Calgary to mark the end of the school year in April.
Matthew de Grood, 23, has already been found fit to stand trial, but the court has put a publication ban on his psychiatric assessment.
The families of the victims released a letter to the media Monday through the Calgary police.
They say they are trying to understand what good it would do to publicize the information before the trial, which won't start until next year.
They say the details of the case are such that no one should want or need to hear them before they are presented in court.
"Our priority as we try and rebuild our lives is to protect the dignity of our lost children and try and prevent the re-victimization of the young people who were traumatized by the events of April 15, 2014. They continue to relive every detail of that night, and the last thing any of us need at this time is additional anguish and sorrow," the letter says.
The letter says a judge will rule on Nov. 26 on the media's request to unseal an information to obtain and warrants surrounding the most graphic details of the crime.
"We, the five families of the victims, oppose the release of the information and we ask for your sympathy and understanding at this time. Please, Calgary media, consider discontinuing your efforts to obtain these details.
"We choose to celebrate how they lived, as opposed to glorify how they died. We implore you to do the same."
