The 22-year-old man charged with five counts of first degree murder in the worst mass killing the City of Calgary has ever seen has been ordered by a judge to undergo a psychiatric assessment.

Matthew de Grood was charged last week after he was arrested by police following the stabbing deaths of four young men and one young woman.

He appeared in a Calgary court room via closed circuit television for only a few minutes to learn about the next steps in the case.

The 30 day psychiatric assessment, put  forward by the Crown in agreement with the defence, will determine whether or not he is fit to stand trial for the murders.

His lawyer, Allan Fay, said he's spoken with his client three or four times since his arrest and he's found him to be lucid. "He seems to appreciate the situation he's in but, again, I'm not a professional psychiatrist."

He says that during their conversations, de Grood has not given any indication that he was mentally unstable at the time of the murders.

Fay says his client is doing well in the circumstances. "He's obviously apprehensive and concerned, but he seems to be holding up."

de Grood's family has not been permitted to see him yet, but Fay hopes that will be allowed in the near future. "He's very concerned about his parents' welfare and what they're going through."

He added that the trial, as with any homicide case, is going to be difficult. "Any homicide is difficult. A homicide that's magnified is going to be very difficult. I can only anticipate, not only from a logistical point of view, but also the emotional toll it's going to take on everyone involved. It's a horrendous case and it's touched so many lives. It's going to be tough, absolutely."

de Grood, a student at the University of Calgary, was an invited guest to a house party in Brentwood celebrating the end of classes on April 15.

Police allege that he stabbed all five people inside the home and Police Chief Rick Hanson saying he targeted them one by one, stabbing them multiple times.

Three were found dead at the scene while a man and a woman were transported to hospital where they later died.

The victims were identified by police on April 16 as Josh Hunter, Zackariah Rathwell, Jordan Segura, Kaiti Perras, and Lawrence Hong.

All five were students in Calgary, attending the U of C, MRU, and the Alberta College of Art and Design.

Three victims, Segura, Perras, and Hunter, were laid to rest on Monday. Rathwell’s funeral is scheduled later on Tuesday and Hong will be buried on Wednesday.

de Grood was captured a few blocks from the scene following the stabbing.

He is currently being held in police custody at the Forensic Psychiatry Centre and is expected back in court on May 22.

As for bail, Fay says any kind of decision about that is a long way off.