CALGARY -- The Calgary man charged with killing his girlfriend, mother and stepfather in July 2018 returned to court Monday for the start of a preliminary hearing that will determine if there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial.

Dustin Duthie, 26, faces three counts of second-degree murder.

suspicious deaths, three bodies, Homicide Unit, 20

Dustin Duthie was taken into custody following the discovery of three bodies at two different Calgary homes on Tuesday, July 31, 2018.

The body of his girlfriend — 24-year-old Taylor Toller — was discovered in her apartment on Applevillage Court S.E. Police believe she was killed on July 25, 2018.  

It’s believed Duthie’s mother Shawn Boshuck, 52, and his stepfather Alan Pennylegion, 51, were killed nearly a week later. The couple left behind four children. Their bodies were found in their home on Hidden Valley Drive N.W. 

Three dead

Crime scene tape cordons off a home on Hidden Valley Drive N.W.

All three bodies were discovered on July 31, 2018, after police were called for a check on welfare at two residences. 

The two-week preliminary inquiry is to determine if there is sufficient evidence to order Duthie to stand trial.

Evidence presented at the hearing will likely be under a publication ban.