Trial dates have been set in connection with the fatal stabbing of one man and the brutal amputation of another's hand in downtown Vancouver last September.
Vancouver Provincial Court officials said that the proceedings involving White Rock resident Brendan Colin McBride were scheduled for Oct. 21-23 and Oct. 27-30, 2025, during an appearance Friday morning (Jan. 31) at the courthouse.
A one-day preliminary inquiry was also scheduled, set for Oct. 20.
McBride 鈥� 34 years old at the time of his arrest 鈥� was charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault following a pair of attacks that occurred in quick succession on the morning of Sept. 4, 2024.
Officers originally responded to a call near Richards and Dunsmuir streets at 7:38 a.m. that day. They found a 56-year-old man with a wound to his head and a severed hand.
Eight minutes later, at West Georgia and Hamilton streets, a second man was attacked. That victim, later identified as 70-year-old Francis David Laporte, died from his injuries.
With the help of a drone, officers found and arrested McBride shortly after 9 a.m. near Olympic Village.
At a press conference that afternoon, Vancouver Police Chief Const. Adam Palmer said the attacks appeared to be random, unprovoked and on strangers. He added that the suspect seemed to be "very troubled" and that police were looking into whether mental health was a factor.
