Gabriel Klein appeared for the first time in court on Wednesday in connection with last week’s deadly stabbing at Abbotsford Senior Secondary.
The 21-year-old is charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault after a double stabbing on Nov. 1. Letisha Reimer, 13, died in hospital, while a 14-year-old girl whose name is under a publication ban received serious injuries.
Klein’s first appearance, by video, on Monday in Abbotsford was complicated by the fact he initially refused to come out of his jail cell.
On Wednesday, Klein was initially set to appear in person in Surrey at 9:30 a.m., but the hearing was adjourned till the afternoon to allow him to speak with counsel.
He’d been brought in and out in a wheelchair by sheriffs, restrained, saying little, and rocking back and forth.
Klein did not speak to duty counsel during the lunch break and was brought back in a similar state at 2 p.m., and so the lawyer assigned to him did not know how the young man wanted to proceed.
The duty counsel told the court that due to Klein’s lack of responses, he was unsure as to Klein’s fitness to stand trial. The crown echoed those concerns.
The judge ordered Klein to appear in Chilliwack court on Nov. 21, adding that matters of preliminary inquiry, bail and counsel appointments will be decided upon then.
