The man accused of killing Bill and Donna Lee Powers in their Braeside home was in a Calgary courtroom on Monday facing murder charges.
Derek Puffer is charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of the veteran Calgary sportscaster and his wife in July 2013. On Monday, he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Puffer sat in the witness box on the opening day of his trial and showed no emotion as the details of the crime and his arrest were presented to court.
An autopsy confirmed that the couple was stabbed to death. Donna Lee Powers was stabbed 16 times, Puffer’s step father, Billy Powers was stabbed nine times
Puffer lived in the basement of the couple's home at the time of the murders.
Puffer was found naked near a bus shelter by police and the officer who found him told the court that Puffer calmly approached him and admitted to killing his mother and step-father.
In an agreed statement of facts, Puffer told police that "I have been hearing voices. Did you find the knife?"
He also told police during an interview that he had schizophrenia and had not taken his medication is several years.
The focus of the judge-alone hearing is whether Puffer was criminally responsible at the time of the homicides.
