A Lethbridge court has granted a 28 day extension on the psychiatric assessment of Derek Sartezky, the man accused of killing two-year-old Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette and her father Terry in September.
Saretzky, 22, is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths and just completed a 30-day psychiatric assessment to determine if he is fit to stand trial.
Terry Blanchette, 27, was found dead in his Blairmore home on Monday, September 14 and an AMBER Alert was issued across three provinces for his daughter Hailey who went missing from the home.
The little girl’s body was later found in a rural area near the southern Alberta town and the next day Saretzky was charged with two counts of murder and indignity to a human body.
He was hospitalized after sources say he tried to take his own life while in custody at the Lethbridge Correctional Centre.
Saretzky was returned to custody a few days later and was ordered to undergo a 30-day psychiatric assessment after making a brief court appearance at the end of September.
The purpose of the assessment was to determine what Saretzky’s mental state was at the time of the offences and whether he is fit to understand the court process and stand trial.
On Thursday, Saretzky appeared in court via CCTV from the Calgary Remand Centre.
A representative for Saretzky's lawyer told court that the assessment is incomplete and asked that the file be sealed and not opened until later as it contains medical information.
The judge agreed to seal that information and extended the psychiatric review period by an additonal 28 days.
Saretzky is scheduled to appear in court on November 26 and his lawyer has elected to have his case heard by a judge and jury if it is determined that he is fit to stand trial.
