A 30-year-old accountant who had recently suffered from mental-health problems is expected to undergo further psychiatric evaluation after being charged yesterday with first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents and one of his sisters.
Daniel Maxheleau was unshaven and his hair dishevelled as he made a short appearance in an Ottawa courtroom. He is scheduled to be back in court next week, at which point the Crown or defence could call for psychiatric testing.
"Maybe at the next appearance, it could be mentioned," said Staff Sergeant Monique Ackland of the Ottawa Police.
Neighbour Liette St-Cyr said she was told two days ago by one of Mr. Maxheleau's surviving sisters that he had been undergoing counselling for more than a year. The sister was heading to her parents' home on Sunday when she saw the heavy police presence and was escorted to the neighbour's house.
Ms. St-Cyr said the surviving sister was in shock and could not explain the tragedy, although she said Daniel had been receiving treatment.
Staff Sgt. Ackland refused to comment on the motive behind the slaying, saying police work is still under way. The weapon has been recovered.
Defence lawyer Matt Webber told reporters that he had only spoken to his client for a few minutes and refused to discuss the state of his mental health.
"He'll be held at the Ottawa detention centre . . . and he'll be there, well, for the foreseeable future," Mr. Webber told reporters.
Mr. Maxheleau was part of a program for academically gifted students in a French-language high school in Ottawa. He was a senior accountant at the Montreal and Ottawa offices of KPMG from 1997 to 2001.
After living in Montreal, Mr. Maxheleau returned to live with his parents in the east end of Ottawa.
Police said they were in contact with Mr. Maxheleau once in recent months, although the exchange was not related to any criminal matter. Staff Sgt. Ackland refused to comment on a media report stating that police had dealt with Mr. Maxheleau last year after he threatened to jump out of a window in his parents' house.
The victims were 66-year-old Gerald Maxheleau, a retired employee of Bell Canada, and his wife Louise, 60, a retired nurse.
Their daughter Michelle, 25, was also killed after she discovered her parents' bodies Sunday morning and called 911. She was stabbed to death before police arrived.
Daniel Maxheleau offered no resistance when police entered the house where the three bodies were found.