A decade later, friends and families of Brentwood Five still trying to heal
In the early hours of April 15, 2014, five friends were stabbed to death during a party at a Brentwood home – an act that shook Calgary to its core.
Kaiti Perras, Lawrence Hong, Jordan Segura, Zackariah Rathwell and Josh Hunter were killed by Matthew de Grood, who was found to have been not criminally responsible (NCR).
Monday will mark 10 years since their deaths.
- Sign up for breaking news alerts from CTV News, right at your fingertips
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Kyle Tenove was in a band with Rathwell and Hunter.
Performing a sold-out show at the Palomino in Calgary, the group had no idea the tragedy that would soon strike.
On April 12, 2014, Zackariah and the Prophets released their six-song EP record.
"Four best friends having the best time of their lives," Tenove said.
"We recorded it in Lethbridge in a little farmhouse."
Rathwell was lead vocalist and guitar player, Barry Mason was lead guitar, Hunter played drums and Tenove was on bass.
All four met in high school at Bishop Carroll and became sudden friends.
Tenove and Mason, the two surviving members of that band, are both continuing with their music careers in other projects.
But the pair say they wanted to remember their bandmates and re-release their EP – a remastered version – on the 10-year anniversary of when it first came out.
"We just decided it was a good time to have it up on streaming and maybe kind of make a bit of a positive impact within our own community," Tenove said.
"A lot of us are still affected by what happened and this feels for myself and Barry Mason, the other remaining member from the band, it feels like a special way to honour our departed friends."
Tenove says the past decade has not been easy, but support from friends and family, and therapy, have helped immensely.
"It gets to this point, 10 years later, where it feels OK, we're ready to revisit this and maybe do some more healing to get to a point that we can feel better," he said.
Tenove has gone on to help start the Prophets of Music Society, created to honour Hunter and Rathwell.
The not-for-profit group was started by members of Hunter's family and invests in emerging artists and local communities, and honours the power of music.
Gregg Perras is Kaiti's father.
Recalling the past 10 years from a family home in Arizona, he says the years that go by do not get any easier.
"To put it in the background, it's pretty difficult to do that," he said.
"They were hanging out with all their friends, having a great time."
Perras reflects on all the advocacy he has done on his daughter's behalf since her death.
He says he's most proud of the Quinterra Legacy Garden in South Glenmore Park, which is an interactive musical garden that pays tribute to all five young adults.
It offers Perras peace in his healing journey.
"They can't speak for themselves," he said.
"She was a very strong person and it's important to keep that legacy going."
A court determined de Grood had been living with undiagnosed schizophrenia at the time of the killings, and he has since been under psychiatric care.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Infant dies in ATV crash, N.S. RCMP says alcohol may be a factor
An infant has died and three others, including another child, were taken to hospital following an ATV crash in Forties, N.S., on Monday.
Canadians are eyeing moves to these cities for more affordable housing
Faced with elevated housing prices, half of Canadians in the country's largest cities are considering moving to places with more affordable housing.
Charges against world's top golfer Scottie Scheffler dropped after arrest outside PGA Championship
Criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, ending a legal saga that began with images of the world’s top male golfer being arrested and handcuffed in Louisville during the PGA Championship.
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.
'Scandals and secrets': On board the world's most exclusive private residential ship
It’s a floating city exclusively home to the 1 per cent, a playground for multimillionaires and billionaires that circumnavigates the world's oceans.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
How Trump's hush money trial verdict could affect the 2024 election
Here is how three potential outcomes from the jury room ─ a guilty verdict, an acquittal or a hung jury ─ could affect the presidential campaign.
'Are you driving?' U.S. man with suspended licence shows up on court Zoom call while behind the wheel
A Michigan man with a suspended driver's licence didn't appear to have thought through a recent court appearance made on video, joining the Zoom call while driving.
An Iceland volcano starts erupting again, spewing lava into the sky
A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Wednesday for the fifth time since December, spewing red streams of lava in the latest display of nature’s power and triggering the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.