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
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
DEVELOPING Hamas accepts Gaza ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar
Hamas said it has accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, which seeks to halt the seven-month war with Israel in Gaza, prompting Israel to say it would send a delegation to negotiate – though it warned the proposal remained far from the 'necessary requirements.'
An American soldier was arrested in Russia and accused of stealing, U.S. officials say
An American soldier has been arrested in Russia and accused of stealing, according to U.S. officials. The soldier was stationed in South Korea and was in the process of returning home to the United States, but travelled to Russia.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Competition Bureau launches inquiry into Lululemon over 'greenwashing' allegations
Canada's Competition Bureau has launched an inquiry into Vancouver-based Lululemon following a complaint from members of an environmental group.
NDP calls out Conservatives for effort to quash pharmacare legislation
The federal New Democrats are calling out Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party for trying to block the bill that could pave the way for millions of Canadians to access birth control and diabetes coverage.
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc tabled legislation in the House of Commons on Monday proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Bill C-70 proposes to enact a new 'Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act.'